New father Lance Sergeant Joshua Andrews, of Portsmouth rushed into action to carry out the funeral duty just days after the birth of his third child, Luella.
He was one of the soldiers of the Grenadier Guards coffin bearer party who carried Prince Philip’s casket during the funeral at Windsor Castle in April – in a ceremony that was broadcast across the globe.
Joshua, 29, is now to receive the Victoria Medal for his efforts, having been personally selected by Her Majesty as part of a rare set of awards honouring what would have been her late husband’s 100th birthday this week.
‘Being in The Queen’s Company for as long as I have, it meant the world that I had the honour to lift and carry Her Majesty’s husband,’ said Joshua. ‘It is something that will go down in history and my little girls will grow up knowing that their dad was a part of it.’