Ben Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient and decorated-yet-controversial soldier has attended the Queen’s funeral amid speculation he wouldn’t attend.
Watch Below: The Royal Family walk behind The Queen into Westminster Abbey
The highly decorated soldier and Afghan war veteran was spotted among the crowds at Westminster Abbey after arriving in London via commercial flight rather than on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s VIP jet.
The 43-year-old is currently awaiting the outcome of his defamation trial against the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Canberra Times newspapers following the publication of accusations that he committed war crimes.
The case caused a media frenzy that for over 100 days in court, however, a verdict is not expected for months.
Ben denies the allegations of war crimes and has never been chard with a crime.
Ben shared earlier this week that he was “deeply saddened” to hear about the Queen’s passing, whilst confirming that he had been invited to the funeral.
“I feel deeply saddened by Her Majesty’s passing, I had an immense respect for her and she was someone I admired greatly,” he explained in a statement to NCA NewsWire.
“In every interaction, I had with the Queen she was warm, insightful and engaging. She was a magnificent monarch, a stoic leader, and importantly just a lovely lady.
“I feel extremely honoured to be fortunate enough to pay my respects to the Queen and humbled that she saw fit to include the Victoria Cross recipients in her funeral procession.”
Queensland MP and shadow assistant defence minister, Phillip Thompson, has slammed reports that Australian consulate staff questioned whether Ben should attend the funeral.
Posting on a private Instagram page, the Liberal MP slammed the situation as a disgrace. News.com shared screenshots of the private Instagram message which read, “All Victoria Cross recipients have been personally invited at the request of Her Majesty,”
“They all should have flown on (Anthony Albanese‘s) plane. A fundamental pillar of democracy is presumption of innocence.
“That hasn’t occurred for Ben or any of our soldiers, it’s been trial and conviction by the media. It’s disgusting.
“The consulate staff who made that comment about Ben attending should be sacked.”
Alongside the Prime Minister and Ben Roberts-Smith, ten more Aussies are in attendance of the Queen’s funeral, including disability advocate Dylan Alcott.
