Luton headteacher shocked and honoured to be invited to Queen's funeral

A Luton headteacher and MBE recipient has said she was so shocked to be invited to the Queen's funeral, that she initially thought it was a scam.

Donna Neely-Hayes, headteacher at Denbigh High School, received a telephone call from the Cabinet Office on Sunday, September 11, and was initially shocked by the “enormity of it all.”

She told the Luton News: “Having the opportunity to pay my respects in this way to such a phenomenal individual was an absolute honour and one that I am deeply grateful of.”

She added: “As the ceremony began and we stood in silence, it was a silence that I had never experienced before - it was so moving! The sound of the choir was also hugely emotional, so powerful and just the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.”

“Other sounds that struck me were from the shoes of the procession, everything was so immaculately timed and I felt so proud of everyone involved. The moment the coffin came in, followed by the Royal family, was obviously a real moment of sadness but also a moment where I felt so immensely privileged to be able to pay my respect to them all.”

“Towards the end of the ceremony we all sang the National Anthem and I could feel the hairs standing up on my arms - the whole Abbey erupted when we got to this part - it was a truly inspirational moment.”

Donna received an MBE in the late Queen’s birthday honour’s list in June this year for her service to education and said that she was proud to represent her family, Denbigh High School and Luton.

“I certainly took time to reflect on what the Queen has taught us all,” she added.

"She was such a role model to every single person in our country and her leadership is one we should all aspire to. I have enjoyed celebrating The Queen's life with our students by focusing on the tremendous values that she carried with her throughout her lifetime. Respect, integrity, commitment and resilience are just some of the values we seek to drive across our school population and I will certainly do my very best to continue to drive these values in honour of Her Majesty The Queen.”

Donna was amongst handpicked members of the public, chosen for their contributions and good causes, to attend the funeral on Monday (September 19).

Another in attendance was Sue Lousada, Bedfordshire's new Lord-Lieutenant. Sue had the "immense honour and privilege" to attend the state funeral and felt it was a "fitting tribute to the Monarch who gave a life of dedicated service to the nation, Commonwealth & beyond and whom we loved, honoured and respected in return." Lousada is the successor of Helen Nellis, who retired on September 7.

Other notable guests at the funeral included over 500 heads of state and dignitaries. American President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden were in attendance, as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand's prime minister Jacinda Arden, and Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau. Past and present UK Prime Ministers were also present to pay their respects to the late Monarch, including Liz Truss, who was first elected as a member of parliament for South West Norfolk in 2010.