LONDON – As the Queen of Soul was being laid to rest on Friday, our neighbors across the pond shared their condolences by playing one of the most notable selections from the singer’s expansive repertoire.
According to CBS News, troops from the British Army’s Household Division performed Franklin’s 1967 hit “Respect” (a feminist answer to Otis Redding’s 1965 original) during the annual Changing of the Guards Ceremony. The Band of the Welsh Guards called Franklin a “huge influence and inspiration to our musicians.”
“In the Army Respect for others underpins all that we do, so there was only one tune that would do for today’s ceremony,” the Army in London posted on its Facebook page, calling the song “a declaration from a strong confident woman who knows that she has everything.”
Franklin, 76, died of pancreatic cancer on August 16. Family, friends and other dignitaries including Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Attorney General Eric Holder attended and spoke at Franklin’s homegoing service at Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple.
Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder and Faith Hill were just some of the musicians who performed during the six-and-a-half hour long service.
Watch part of the service below:
