The funeral of Liam Payne is set to take place today. The details of the ceremony have been kept under wraps, leading to public speculation.
Former One Direction bandmates and girlfriend Kate Cassidy will gather at a church in the Home Counties to bid farewell to the 31-year old singer. However, there has been some confusion about why the exact location is being kept secret and what exactly the term ‘Home Counties’ means.
The Home Counties are a collection of counties in England that are believed to have received their title during the Tudor era, although their origin is subject to debate. England is divided into 48 counties, six of which are considered Home Counties; Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey.
There is some dispute over whether Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, East Sussex and West Sussex should also be included in this group.
So, what makes these areas ‘Home Counties’ and why are they deemed significant?
The title ‘Home Counties’ is given to those areas that border London, reports the Daily Star. Those with disputed inclusion do not border London but are sometimes considered as Home Counties due to their close proximity and excellent connections to the capital city.
The Home Counties are often viewed as an affluent region, boasting some of the wealthiest areas in the UK. However, the stark cost of living, largely due to its proximity to London, means it is also home to some of the country’s poorest residents.
The area’s closeness to the capital makes it a popular choice for celebrities, including Liam, who purchased a property in Buckinghamshire in 2021, despite hailing from Wolverhampton. Liam’s funeral is being held in the Home Counties, rather than his hometown of Wolverhampton, possibly due to his connections to the area.
One reason could be that his ex-partner, Cheryl Tweedy, mother to their 7-year-old son Bear, resides in the Home Counties. Following their split in 2018, Liam reportedly helped Cheryl buy a £3.7million mansion, where she lives with Bear and her mother Joan.
Liam also had a home in the area, likely to be close to his young son. Cheryl described Liam’s passing as an “earth-shattering event” and shared that it has been an “indescribably painful time.”
Meanwhile, in Wolverhampton, fans have created a large memorial, with written and floral tributes to Liam, which had to be relocated by city workers due to its size.
According to a source who spoke to The Sun, Liam’s family reportedly desires the funeral to proceed smoothly and “without a hitch”.
This information emerged after it was disclosed that his manager, Roger, is not expected to attend.
A source told The Sun: “Liam’s family want his funeral to go off without a hitch and right now opinions are strained when it comes to Roger.”
After his devastated father Geoff Payne endured the agonising wait in Argentina before he could repatriate his son’s remains, the flight on which Liam was brought back to the UK became ‘the most watched in the world’.
Some argued that the One Direction fans’ incessantly tracking the flight were ‘invading the privacy’ of Liam and his grief-stricken dad. It’s a sentiment that is supposedly a concern for the funeral today, which will be for loved ones to grieve instead of the possibility of the church being swarmed with fans.
Liam’s family reportedly want his funeral to proceed smoothly, hence the decision to keep the location undisclosed to avoid any potential disruptions. Following the news of Liam’s passing, his family expressed their grief, stating: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
In 2022, while performing in front of a large audience in the US, Liam shared his thoughts on how he wanted to be remembered.
He said: “Honestly, just being a nice guy. I would rather be known for being a nice guy than anything else.”
He added: “I always hated the term ‘role model’, we were 16 year old boys in a band that were dumping water on each other on stage every night.”
He concluded by saying: “Very early on, I was like ‘you can’t really be a role model if you are still learning, don’t follow me because I am learning with you.”
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