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Westminster Abbey Queen funeral.JPG
Reuters
Westminster Abbey Queen funeral.JPG
Reuters
World News

Twitter users respond to Archbishop of York funeral slip-up

by Sophie Drew

People have been left feeling sorry for the Archbishop of York after he dropped his papers during the Queen's funeral - and they've dubbed the moment "papergate".

Despite most things going to plan, one very small mishap was spotted by eagle-eyed viewers watching the funeral service. 

As the ceremony began Most Rev Stephen Cottrell was struggling to adjust his mitre. 

In amongst the struggle, he dropped a piece of paper in clear view, catching the attention of a number of other Church leaders. 

However, it wasn't just bishops and cardinals that were distracted - viewers have taken to Twitter to discuss the small mistake. 

As members of the clergy were sat at the very top of the Abbey -  closest to the altar and in front of Her Majesty's coffin - the small slip-up was caught by a camera that happened to be zooming in on him. 

It's believed that the funeral could be the most watched single TV event in history, with some suggesting four billion viewers tuned in. 

Taking to Twitter, GrahamRKings said: "The Archbishop of York, needed to remember Psalm 136 verse 12: '...with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.'"

Another praised the way the Archbishop handled the situation, tweeting: "#papergate that's why he's a bishop and I'm a nobody. I would have leaned over to pick up the paper and my hat would have fallen off. Then I would have reached for the hat and tripped over my robes, and it would have gone downhill from there. #rightmanforthejob"

Others humorously suggested he'd accidentally dropped a shopping list, instead of the prayer he read later in the service. 

Another comic tweet came from Adam Crawley, who said: "The Bishop who dropped the piece of paper in front of him in the Abbey couldn't pick it up because as we know, Bishops can only move diagonally."

However, one faith leader suggested the paper contained something much more serious; John Chorlton said: "We clergy know exactly what was on the piece of paper that the Archbishop of York dropped during the #queensfuneral. It was a reserve sermon in case @JustinWelby was suddenly indisposed! (Archbishops and Kings have a complex history)"

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