ROYAL fans have been left wondering the same thing as the Queen’s hearse made its final journey to Windsor today.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets, while the Queen’s children – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward – marched slowly behind, followed by Princes William and Harry.
Matthew Magee (L), a former assistant private secretary to the late Queen, and (r) ‘Tall Paul’ – page of the backstairs
Matthew and Paul were both caused a stir online this afternoon
But viewers were distracted by the tall man wearing glasses, who was spotted walking ahead of the hearse during the procession after the funeral.
Matthew Magee, who stands at 7ft 2in man, was appointed to be a key aide, replacing Samantha Cohen as Her Majesty’s assistant private secretary.
During the Queen’s funeral on September 19, 2022, Magee was seen processing alongside other important dignitaries and quickly became a talking point after capturing the attention of viewers at home.
Before that, he was Prince Edward’s private secretary but sources said he had been chosen to work for the Queen because of his “brilliant brain”.
And he wasn’t the only tall man spotted during the procession today.
Standing to his right was Paul Whybrew, affectionately known as ‘Tall Paul’ because he stands at 6ft 4in, who is page of the backstairs – a senior role that oversees the male staff.
Described as the Queen’s favourite courtier, he worked for the monarch for 40 years and remained one of Her Majesty’s closest aides in her final days at Balmoral.
In 1982, Paul wrestled intruder Michael Fagan to the ground after he broke into the Queen’s bedroom at Buckingham Palace.
He may also be familiar for being the aide who was seen at the Queen’s side during her sketch for the 2012 Olympic Games with James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
The comments section was flooded with comments about the mystery figure, with ‘Tall Man’ even trending on Twitter.
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
“Who’s the super-tall man walking in front of the Queen’s hearse? He sticks out so much,” wrote one.
A second commented: “Curious about the very tall man in the procession.”
A third asked: “Who is the very tall man in the procession for our glorious Queen?”
Meanwhile, a fourth penned: “Not surprised to see #tallman is trending.”
ROYAL TRIBUTE
Princess Charlotte pays sweet tribute to the Queen with jewellery
Another quipped: “Is the very tall man walking in front of Queen Elizabeth II coffin related to Richard Osman? #verytall.”
And one more asked: “Question: who’s the very tall man walking in front of the hearse?”
Queen Elizabeth with Paul Whybrew on James Bond sketch for 2012 Olympics
The Queen with (on left) Matthew Magee assistant private secretary and (on right) Master of the Household Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt accompanying the Queen through St George’s Hall, Windsor
