Queen Elizabeth II and shut members of the royal household will bid a closing farewell to Prince Philip on Saturday at a funeral restricted by coronavirus guidelines.
The ceremony, from behind the stately partitions of Windsor Fortress, west of London, will likely be watched by hundreds of thousands on tv, with the general public urged to remain away due to the pandemic.
The Duke of Edinburgh – described by royals as “the grandfather of the nation” – died aged 99 on April 9, simply weeks after spending greater than a month in hospital for therapy of a coronary heart situation and an an infection.
Britain’s longest-serving royal consort was an nearly fixed presence on the queen’s aspect throughout her record-breaking reign that started in 1952, as Britain rebuilt from World Conflict II and as its world empire started to unravel.
His loss of life, after 73 years of marriage, has left a “big void” in her life, the couple’s second son, Prince Andrew, stated final weekend.
On the service that is because of final 50 minutes, the dean of Windsor, David Conner, can pay tribute to Philip’s “unwavering loyalty” to the queen, who turns 95 subsequent week, the nation and the Commonwealth, in addition to his “braveness, fortitude and religion”.
Many components of the funeral observe navy and royal protocol, from the armed forces personnel lining the funeral path to the artillery salutes and Philip’s naval cap and sword atop the coffin.
Greater than 700 navy personnel are set to participate, together with military bands, Royal Marine buglers and an honour guard drawn from throughout the armed forces.
The eight-minute procession will start amid a backdrop of ceremonial gunfire and the tolling of the bell contained in the fortress’s Curfew Tower.
His coffin will likely be borne to Windsor’s historic St George’s Chapel on a bespoke Land Rover hearse which he designed himself, repainted in navy inexperienced.
A gunshot will mark a minute’s silence which will likely be noticed throughout the nation on the stroke of 3pm (14:00 GMT) earlier than the funeral service begins.
Finish of an period
The queen will lead simply 30 mourners, as they pay their respects to the person she as soon as referred to as her “energy and keep”, and whose loss of life closes a exceptional chapter for Britain’s most well-known household and the nation’s latest historical past.
The congregation will principally be shut household, together with the couple’s 4 youngsters: inheritor to the throne Prince Charles, 72, Princess Anne, 70, Prince Andrew, 61, and Prince Edward, 57.
Additionally current will likely be Charles’s eldest son William, 38, who will likely be joined by youthful brother, Harry, 36, after he jetted again final weekend from the USA, the place he now lives.
All eyes will likely be on the brothers – whose mom was Charles’s first spouse, Princess Diana – after a reported falling out over Harry’s transfer to California together with his American spouse, Meghan, and their stinging criticisms of the royals.
Meghan, closely pregnant together with her second baby, was suggested to not journey on medical grounds.
The brothers, who as younger boys walked behind their mom’s coffin at her funeral in 1997, will observe the procession on foot, however not side-by-side.
Between them will likely be their cousin, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, 43, which can doubtless gasoline additional rumours of the rift, even when it displays royal protocol.
All visitors – in mourning black – are required to put on black face masks earlier than, throughout and after the ceremony. Harry has needed to quarantine since arriving from Los Angeles.
Royal officers and the federal government have urged the general public to not congregate at palaces to pay their respects, though a gentle stream of well-wishers have ignored the calls.
Mourners collect outdoors Buckingham Palace after it was introduced that Britain’s Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, has died on the age of 99, in London, UK [Hannah McKay/Reuters]Who’s attending?
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Prince Charles, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s eldest son and first in line to the throne
- Camilla, Prince Charles’s spouse
- Princess Anne, the duke’s solely daughter
- Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s husband
- Prince Andrew, the duke’s son
- Prince Edward, the duke’s son
- Sophie Rhys-Jones, Prince Edward’s spouse
- Prince William, the duke’s grandson and second in line to the throne
- Catherine – beforehand Kate Middleton – Prince William’s spouse
- Prince Harry, the duke’s grandson
- Peter Phillips, the queen and the duke’s eldest grandchild, Princess Anne’s daughter
- Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter
- Mike Tindall, Zara Tindall’s husband who’s a former England rugby participant
- Princess Beatrice, Prince Andrew’s elder daughter
- Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice’s husband
- Princess Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s youthful daughter
- Jack Brooksbank, Princess Eugenie’s husband
- Girl Louise Windsor, the elder baby of Prince Edward
- Viscount Severn, the youthful baby of Prince Edward
- Edward, Duke of Kent, a primary cousin of the queen, via his father, whereas his mom was a cousin to Philip
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the queen’s cousin and the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary
- Princess Alexandra, a cousin of the queen
- Prince Bernhard, whose grandmother was the duke’s second eldest sister
- Prince Donatus, representing the households of Prince Philip’s two youthful sisters, Sophie and Cecilie
- Prince Philipp, one of many duke’s great-nephews from Germany and the grandson of the duke’s eldest sister, Princess Margarita
- David Armstrong-Jones, the queen’s nephew
- Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who married Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey. His mom was a 3rd cousin of the queen
- Girl Sarah Chatto, the queen’s solely niece
- Daniel Chatto, Girl Sarah’s husband
