Ben Roberts-Smith attends the Queen’s funeral after Australia’s most decorated soldier had to fly commercial to London rather than on Anthony Albanese’s VIP jet
Afghan war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith is among the crowd attending the Queen’s funeral in London after he flew commercial rather than accompanying Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his VIP jet.
The 43-year-old won the Victoria Cross for storming a fortified enemy machine gun position in Afghanistan and killing three insurgents when his unit was pinned back.
He is also awaiting the outcome of his epic defamation ‘trial of the century’ against the Nine Network.
Ben Robert Smith, 43, is seen at the Queen’s funeral on Monday in London
The soldier, by virtue of his military honour, has joined officials at the funeral – including Mr Albanese and the Governor-General David Hurley and a handful of celebrated Australian civilians at the service.
At the service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Mr Roberts-Smith could be seen dressed in a suit adorned with his war medals.
Last week, Ben Roberts-Smith has opened up about his invitation to attend the Queen’s funeral (pictured together in 2011)
On Thursday, Australia’s most decorated soldier left Brisbane for London by himself because he was invited separately to Mr Albanese.
Last week, Mr Roberts-Smith publicly welcomed his invitation to the service by speaking publicly about the occasion he met the Queen in 2011.
The decorated digger said it was a ‘surreal’ experience and that he was ‘taken aback’ by her ‘kindness’ and ‘intelligence’.
He recalled to the West Australian that ‘she sort of dropped her handbag on the double-seated couch and pointed for me to sit down, and I assumed that she would sit opposite me, but she sat right next to me and grabbed my arm and started talking to me about just having just flown back from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at that time.’
Mr Roberts-Smith described the late Monarch as ‘magnificent’, adding that she was ‘stoic leader’ and ‘a lovely lady’.
‘I have a very deep respect for Her Majesty and everything that she has sacrificed in her life and what she has achieved.’
Last week, Mr Roberts-Smith publicly welcomed his invitation to the service by speaking publicly about the occasion he met the Queen in 2011
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