AMONG the crowds in London for the Queen’s funeral on Monday will be Bradford on Tone woman Jacqui Duffield, who has a royal connection going back to Queen Victoria’s reign.

Jacqui, aged 60, and husband Ian, will travel to the capital on Sunday to keep the connection going for their grandchildren.

Her great-grandfather was one of Queen Victoria’s bodyguards, and her grandfather served in the Household Cavalry and was among the bodyguards for King George V.

Jacqui wants to be a ‘part of history’ and pay her respects to the Queen and Royal family who she said had been a ‘constant’ for generations in her family.

She said: “My great-grandfather was one of the bodyguards to Queen Victoria, and his son, my granddad, was also in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards and served in the Household Cavalry.”

Jacqui said being in London for the funeral meant she would be able to tell future grandchildren and great-grandchildren ‘I was there’.

She said during her reign the Queen had been ‘reassuring in her calm and steadfast way’ and given ‘amazing duty and service to us all’.

“We knew, like many others, that she had been slowly deteriorating over the last couple of years,” said Jacqui.