On social media, people reacted in disbelief to the sight of an “insanely large” mourner walking in the Queen’s procession.

As he walked beside the Queen’s coffin, he towered over the soldiers and sailors, prompting many to ask for information about his identity.

One Twitter user wrote: “Who is this insanely tall man? Is this the royal Slenderman?”

Another, Rich, said: “Does anyone know who this incredibly tall man is?” Another Twitter user, Emma, ​​added: “I don’t know who he is but he is a very tall man.” Another tweet joked: “Who is he? He would be handy for changing lightbulbs.” Another added: “I can’t stop looking at the incredibly tall man walking in front of the vehicle carrying the Queen’s coffin. Did they bring the tallest man in the world for the occasion?”

The tall man is said to be Matthew Magee, a former assistant private secretary to the late Queen. At 2.18 m tall, he towered over Her Majesty, who was only 1.60 m tall.

He was appointed to the position in 2018 and has often been mistaken for a royal protection officer. Previously, Mr Magee was also the private secretary to the Duke of Kent and Prince Edward.

Mr Magee is one of the Crown’s greatest employees.

State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: The best pictures

He is even taller than “Tall Paul”, another royal employee who appeared alongside the Queen and Daniel Craig in the classic James Bond sketch for the London Olympics.

One royal viewer was keen to set the record straight, writing: “In case anyone else is as curious as I am, the very tall man outside the hearse in the Queen’s train is Matthew Magee, her 7ft 6in private security guard.”