The Australian Federation Guard fires a 41 gun salute to mark the passing of Prince Philip at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Saturday.Lukas Coch/The Associated Press
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will take place on April 17 in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, officials from Buckingham Palace have announced.
“Although the ceremonial arrangements are reduced, the occasion will still celebrate and recognize the Duke’s life and his more than 70 years of service to the Queen, the U.K. and the Commonwealth,” a palace spokesperson told the media on Saturday. “Despite these necessary changes they [the plans] still very much reflect the personal wishes of the Duke of Edinburgh.”
The service will begin at 3 p.m. with a national moment of silence, and there will be a short procession preceding it in the castle grounds. Charles and other members of the royal family will walk behind a specially-modified Land Rover, which Philip helped design, although the Queen will travel separately to the chapel.
In a statement on Saturday, Prince Charles said his father had given “the most remarkable, devoted service to The Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth.”
“As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously. He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow,” he added.
“My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time. Thank you.”
The Duke of Sussex is expected to be in attendance at the funeral but the Duchess, who is pregnant, will not be there on medical grounds. It’s not clear if Prince Harry will have to undergo some kind of self-isolation to conform with COVID-19 restrictions.
It will be the first time Prince Harry has met face-to-face with other family members since the couple’s controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey which raised allegations of racism within the Royal household.
A portrait of Prince Phillip on display at Governor's house in Gibraltar on Saturday.Javier Fergo/The Associated Press
Buckingham Palace has been forced to scale back the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral because of the pandemic. In a statement Friday the palace said it planned a “modified funeral and ceremonial arrangements”.
There will be eight pallbearers drawn from the Royal Marines and other military corps. The coffin, which is draped in the Duke’s standard and topped with a wreath of flowers, is now resting in the private chapel at Windsor Castle. His naval cap and sword will be placed on the coffin before the ceremony. At the conclusion of the service, Philip will be interred in the Royal Vault.
“In line with Government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the duke’s funeral will take place entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle,” palace officials told the media Saturday. “The plans have been given final approval by the Queen and reflect appropriately Government advice.”
All of the attendees, including the Queen, will also have to wear face masks.
“While this is naturally a time of sadness and mourning for the royal family and the many others who knew or admired the Duke of Edinburgh, it is hoped that the coming days will also be seen as an opportunity to celebrate a remarkable life – remarkable both in terms of his vast contribution and lasting legacy,” the spokesman said according to the Telegraph.
Britain has been under a strict lockdown since just after Christmas and while some measures will be relaxed on Monday, funerals will continue to be limited to 30 people. Large public gatherings have also been banned.
While Prince Philip didn’t want a state funeral, there had been elaborate plans for his coffin to be taken on a gun carriage through the streets of London from St. James’s Palace to Wellington Arch outside Buckingham Palace. From there it was going to be driven to Windsor Castle for a funeral and interment at St. George’s Chapel. There were also plans for seven-day period of mourning and up to 800 mourners at the service, likely including dozens of leaders from the Commonwealth and other countries.
The procession has been ruled out and only 30 family members will be in the chapel. The palace has also abandoned plans to have books of condolences for Prince Philip set up at various locations around the country and instead they’ve created an online site for tributes. They have also asked the public not to gather outside Royal households to lay flowers and the notice announcing Prince Philip’s death was removed from the gates of Buckingham Palace within a few hours to prevent crowds from forming.
Officials plan to release more details on the service next week.
The military saluted the Duke by firing 41 rounds from batteries across the country and the Commonwealth.
“The Duke of Edinburgh served among us during the Second World War, and he remained devoted to the Royal Navy and the Armed Forces as a whole,” Gen. Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said in a statement. “A life well-lived. His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness and an unshakeable sense of duty.”
Floral tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh are left outside Windsor Castle Saturday.Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Members of the public continued to honour Philip’s life of service on Saturday, leaving flowers outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle despite appeals from authorities and the royal family to refrain from gathering because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think everyone would like to pay their respects,” Maureen Field, 67, said outside Windsor Castle. “Because of the virus, a lot of people have to stay away. He didn’t want a big funeral. He wanted a very private time with his family to say their goodbyes. So, we’ve all got to respect that.”
Mike Williams, 50, travelled from his home in Surrey, southwest of London, to Buckingham Palace to honour the prince.
“He’s a massive loss to the country and to the world, I think, so we wanted to come and pay respects,” Williams said. “I don’t know what it achieves, but it just felt like the right thing to do.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury is also leading a service to honour the Duke Saturday evening from the chapel at Lambeth Palace.
With a report from The Associated Press
Paul Waldie