Viewers watching the passage of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin were shocked to see an advertising sticker for a Scottish funeral home. The company’s director has already commented on the matter.
Crass and tasteless to stick an advert for the undertaker on the side of the Queen’s hearse. They did this (different firm, obviously) for my mum’s funeral and I had to tell them to remove it. In what universe is this commercialisation considered acceptable? pic.twitter.com/t7R342AEnp
— Richard Horsman (@leedsjourno) September 11, 2022
The outrage was so great that the funeral home’s website was paralyzed as thousands of people wanted to express their dissatisfaction.
The ad was seen at the beginning of the Queen’s last journey, but was not recorded at the end. The director confirmed that she had been taken off her journey after voices of outrage that had been on the net.
“When the procession left Balmoral, we became aware of the negative attention our company was receiving in relation to the branding and removed the logo at the earliest opportunity (…) We changed the colour of our hearse from silver to black and the branding is a common feature on our cars. This procession was meticulously planned and rehearsed every month for a number of years. We noticed there was a deflection of attention during the procession which was playing out on social media. We acted at the earliest opportunity. It’s been a privilege and an honour to serve the Queen and we’ve received the most amazing support locally and globally for yesterday’s procession” – wrote a spokesman for William Purves in a statement to The Sun.
