King Charles has kindly given permission for tragic seven-year-old William Brown to be buried in the “perfect” place following his parents’ heartbreaking plea.
School-boy William Brown died on December 6 after being hit by a van while he was fetching his football from Prospect Road in Sandgate, Folkestone, despite emergency services battling for 40 minutes to try and save him.
His devastated parents revealed their wish for him to be laid to rest at the Church of St Mary and St Eanswythe, just footsteps away from his school and where he played. However, an order from the Privy Council in 1855 closed the churchyard to burials 168 years ago.
Therefore, the graveyard has not accepted applications for new burials for decades. But, after a wide petition garnering thousands of signatures, a spokesperson for the Privy Council said: “We are pleased that His Majesty The King, on the advice of his Privy Council, has granted permission in order to support the family in these tragic circumstances.
“The Brown family and the local community in Folkestone are in our thoughts at this difficult time.”
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The Privy Council is a formal body of advisers to the King and its members are mainly senior politicians. The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt is currently Lord President of the Council.
Kent Online reports his mum, salon owner Laura Brown, 41, travelled for four hours to Sandringham where the Royal Family attended a Christmas Day service. It was here she hoped to hand over a personal letter to the King to ask for his help on the matter.
The letter explained the decision for a burial depended upon the Privy Council to sign it off, and that they were meeting in February 2024. This would mean William Brown would not be able to be buried until at least March.
She explained: “I cannot bear the thought of my boy alone and cold in the morgue for that length of time. It is agony he has had to spend Christmas Day alone.
“I am desperately appealing to you as a mother to a father to help me bury my boy so he is no longer alone.”
Following the decision, the family plans to hold a public funeral to celebrate the life of William and to bring the community together.
William’s mum described her boy as the “sweetest, kindest and funniest boy” who “loved animals, history facts, nature and digging.”
A 49-year-old man was arrested in Dymchurch almost 24 hours after William was knocked down. He was questioned by detectives on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by careless driving, failing to stop at the scene of a collision, and perverting the course of justice.
He has now been released on bail until March 6.
