The family of a young boy killed in an alleged hit and run incident has been granted special permission by the King to have him buried in a graveyard “dear to his heart”.
William Brown was killed when he was knocked down outside his home in Sandgate near Folkestone, Kent while retrieving a football from the road. His mum, Laura Brown hoped to bury her son at St Mary and St Eanswythe's Church, which is attached to the primary school where William was a year 3 pupil. However, no one has been buried in the grounds in more than a century, since it was closed by Order of the Privy Council.
When the local vicar gave William's family his blessing, they then had to apply to the formal body of advisers to King Charles - made up of senior politicians - for permission but faced a long wait for a decision. In desperation she delivered a letter to the Sandringham Estate on Christmas Day and today the King gave approval which will permit William to be buried in the churchyard.
William with his mum Laura, who drove to Sandringham on Christmas Day
The King has given permission for the lad to be buried in the graveyard (UK Press via Getty Images)Beauty therapist Laura, 41, said: "We are so delighted - I can't believe it. I was waiting for a miracle to happen and it did.
"I am so happy we can lay Will to rest in a place that he absolutely loved. I feel overwhelmed with joy. The King is a good man - he's an amazing man. He is a father himself and obviously has a big heart.
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"I had the most horrendous Christmas of my life. I needed to be able to say goodbye to my son and to have somewhere to visit him so I drove to Sandringham in the middle of the night to give my letter to the King - I was just so desperate for someone to read it. Now we can finally lay William to rest."
Laura hopes both her family and William's friends will be able to visit his grave every day on the school run. The schoolboy died after being involved in a collision with a grey Peugeot van and a red Citroen car on the Sandgate Esplanade on December 6. Police and ambulance crews attended the scene, where William was pronounced dead.
At an inquest opening into William’s death at in Maidstone, Kent on December 22, Katrina Hepburn, Area Coroner for Canterbury and South East Kent, gave the seven-year-old’s cause of death as “severe head injuries”. A local man was arrested in Dymchurch 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 on December 7. The 49-year-old was later bailed to return to the police station on 6 March 2024, pending further enquiries.
A spokesperson for the Privy Council said: “We are pleased 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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