13/09/2026
When Britain stopped to mourn its Queen, WO1 Andrew “Vern” Stokes stepped forward at 2:22pm and helped set one of the most solemn processions in British history in motion.
Queen Elizabeth II had died six days earlier.
Years of planning were suddenly no longer plans.
As the guns sounded from Hyde Park on 14 September 2022, Stokes stepped off at the head of the procession carrying the Queen from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Five days later, he helped direct the military ceremonial arrangements for her State Funeral — an operation on a scale Britain had not seen for generations.
But the part most people saw lasted only hours.
The real work had taken years.
As Garrison Sergeant Major of London District, Stokes was responsible for turning ceremonial plans into exact movements involving thousands of personnel, horses, bands, vehicles and timings — with almost no room for error.
During the pandemic, when tradition could not continue as before, he helped deliver two specially adapted Birthday Parades at Windsor and the military element of Prince Philip’s funeral under extraordinary restrictions.
Then came another moment of history.
For the Coronation of King Charles III, Stokes helped turn the military plan into reality — down to route widths, band positions, barriers and even making sure manhole covers were treated so horses would not slip.
Nineteen military bands spread along more than a mile of route had to begin together and hold a continuous beat.
That kind of precision does not happen by accident.
Behind the ceremonial role is a Coldstream Guards soldier who served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and who joined the Army at just 16.
From a teenager leaving school in Shropshire to becoming one of the men trusted with Britain’s greatest State occasions, his career has been built on preparation, discipline and responsibility.
His story is still being written.
But when history has demanded dignity, order and precision, Vern Stokes has repeatedly been there helping to make it happen.
WO1 Andrew “Vern” Stokes OBE MVO DL — still serving, still shaping history.
