On Friday outside of Buckingham Palace, the British Army’s Band of the Welsh Guards paid tribute to the Queen by performing her song “Respect.” In addition to the nod to the ocean-spanning power of Aretha Franklin, it’s satisfying to watch a band of unflappable men in bearskin hats playing a female empowerment anthem. The band’s Facebook page states: “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 1967 Aretha Franklin hit ‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,’ a declaration from a strong confident woman who knows that she has everything.” Hell yes, girl!
According to the Washington Post, the orders came down from Queen Elizabeth herself, who is a fan; in 1980, Franklin performed for the queen at the Royal Albert Hall and had been invited to perform at her 50th jubilee.
The performance took place during the 11 AM Changing of the Guard ceremony, which, the British Army noted in its YouTube caption, was symbolically aligned with the timing of Franklin’s funeral 3,748 miles away.
