NHS nurse ‘thought it was a hoax’ when she received a call inviting her to the Queen’s funeral

An MBE-winning nurse ‘thought it was a hoax’ when she received a phone call inviting her to join the congregation at the Queen’s funeral on Monday.

Nancy O’Neill from Bradford has worked as a nurse for over 41 years and was awarded the Third Highest Order of Merit of the British Empire as part of this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honors.

She received her MBE for her four decades in health service and efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Colleagues at the NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG describe her as a ‘huge asset’ to the NHS.

Ms O’Neill recently received a call from the cabinet office and is looking forward to the conversation about when she will receive her award.

But instead, civil servants invited her to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey with 2,000 politicians, dignitaries and world leaders.

Nancy O’Neill received an MBE for her time in the healthcare industry – where she worked for 41 years – and her efforts during the pandemic

NHS staff thought the call was a hoax before the news sank in and began to be filled with excitement.

The state funeral for the late monarch is expected to be watched by more than 4 billion people worldwide – breaking the previous record of 3.5 billion people believed to have watched the great boxer Muhammad Ali opened the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Ms O’Neill said: ‘It still feels pretty bizarre. My family and grandchildren were very excited and until I took my seat. [at Westminster Abbey] it doesn’t seem real.

‘I couldn’t have imagined that I had been chosen in a million years. I was thinking of lining up to see the Queen lie in state and take my grandkids down, walk through the coffin and participate in the funeral procession.

‘When she passed away, I was amazed at the depth of feeling I had for someone I had never met. The whole country feels very sad.

‘I have another family funeral on Tuesday for an elderly relative who died on the same day as the Queen.

Ms O’Neill was described by Bradford County and the Craven Clinical Executive Team as a ‘huge asset’ (pictured) as she was listed for an award on this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honors list

‘I think it’s going to be a strange and emotional day. It will be something historic. History will weigh heavily throughout it. There will be an element of excitement… it will be a mixture of many emotions.

‘Kings and queens from almost every country will fly in, politicians you see on your phone and see on the news.

‘There’s no one specific person I’d like to meet, I don’t expect to make small talk as it will be a somber occasion.

‘But no one dresses as flamboyantly and politely as the British. It will be a spectacular event and I hope it will do justice to the woman and monarch she once was. ‘

‘It occurred to me that the phone call might have been a hoax. But then I thought how exciting and honored that was. That’s the sum of the total number of conversations.

‘I didn’t tell anyone for several days and didn’t know if I was allowed to tell anyone.

‘When I said, they all said oh, that’s great, that’s my reaction too.

‘My grandchildren can’t wait to tell their friends when they go to school on Tuesday.’

Ms O’Neill said she was expected to head to London on Sunday to soak up the atmosphere.

She told MailOnline she still gets ‘huge’ satisfaction from her work in the NHS and plans to continue until she no longer enjoys it.