Penny Lancaster ‘tremendously proud and honoured’ for being part of Coronation policing operation

Penny Lancaster has spoken of her pride in being part of the police operation at the coronation on Saturday.

She was on duty in Whitehall, watching the crowd as the King and Queen passed by.

The former model, who is married to Sir Rod Stewart, is a special constable in the police force and said she was ‘extremely proud and honored’ to be a part of it.

Ms Lancaster, 52, started volunteering with the City of London Police after taking part in a Channel 4 program called Famous and Fighting Crime in which famous faces tried to become volunteer police officers.

In April 2021, after completing her education, the TV presenter became a special agent.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain about working at the coronation, with her shift between 6am and about 4pm.

Penny Lancaster (lower left in front of two grenadier guards) was on duty at Whitehall, watching the crowd as the King and Queen passed by

The star said: ‘It was the most amazing day and of course extremely proud and honored to have been given that opportunity, along with the City of London Police, for which I am a special constable.

“There were the regular officers and then the specials [on duty] and of course we volunteer our time to help with police duties, and we were stationed at Whitehall, directly opposite 10 Downing Street, just behind New Scotland Yard.’

This comes after she helped police the Queen’s funeral procession last September.

Some 11,500 police officers were present in London on Saturday.

Ms Lancaster added: ‘We got to know the members of the public in front of us quite well. And there were people who came from Miami and Scotland and Wales and everywhere.

And it was just incredible to see that there were different generations, you know, grandparents with their seats out, and there were little toddlers on daddy’s shoulders, and everyone [with] painted faces and waving flags.’

Mrs Lancaster (circled in red), wife of singer Rod Stewart works as a police officer as Queen Elizabeth’s coffin leaves RAF Northolt during her funeral procession last September

She said: ‘So we had to talk and connect with the audience and of course our priority was to make sure that the ceremony and the passing of the carriages, the procession went smoothly without being interrupted.’

The Loose Women panelist added that she worked closely with officers from the Met who wore armour, batons and handcuffs, but that she and her colleagues wore “very nice tunics.”

She said: ‘Our main message to us was to be smart and look smart, and be alert and inform our inspectors and those officers in the crowd if we saw anything suspicious, but luckily it was a fantastic atmosphere. ..” Lancaster said that if anyone tried to cross the barrier, she “would most certainly have intervened.”

She added that she was “very, very proud of our royal family and the connection they have around the world.”