Buckingham Palace provided some details of Prince Philip’s Saturday funeral. Queen Elizabeth II will sit alone during the ceremony, four of their children will walk next to the coffin, and princes William and Harry will follow the coffin.
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Buckingham Palace published a list of 30 attendees on Thursday and provided some details of the ceremony. Since the funeral has to take place in accordance with the restrictions introduced due to the epidemic, it will look completely different than previously planned, but as stated, efforts were made to fulfill as many wishes as previously expressed by the prince.
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On the list of participants, the final shape of which was decided by the queen, apart from herself, there are four of their children – Karol, Anna, Andrzej and Edward with their spouses (except for the divorced Andrzej) and eight grandchildren, four of them – William, Zara Tindall, Beatrice and Eugenia with their spouses. There will be no great-grandchildren, however, as they were deemed too young.
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At the funeral, the prince’s three German cousins
The remaining ten are completed by the children of the late queen’s sister, Princess Margaret – David Armstrong-Jones and Lady Chatto with her husband, three of the queen’s cousins - Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Edward, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexander, Countess of Mountbatten, and – which is quite a surprise – the prince’s three German cousins. Their persons did not appear in the speculations of the British media about the list of participants.
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Buckingham Palace: The Queen faced very difficult decisions
Buckingham Palace said that “the Queen faced very difficult decisions in selecting participants, as according to pre-epidemic plans some 800 people were to attend and the monarch wanted all branches of the prince’s family to be represented.”
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The funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon in the Chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle. The prince’s body is now buried in a private chapel in the castle. On the day of the funeral, the coffin will be moved from there to the palace gate, placed on a military Land Rover specially modified by the prince himself for the occasion, and transported back to the Chapel of St. George. The prince’s children will be walking next to the coffin, and the rest of the participants will follow, except for the queen, who will go to the chapel in King Bentley. Prince William and Harry will not walk side by side, but will be separated by Peter Philips, son of Princess Anne.
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Men in suits, not uniforms
Contrary to tradition, all men will be in suits, not in military uniforms, which will help avoid controversy over the status of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, who for various reasons have withdrawn from their duties as members of the royal family. All participants will be wearing face masks and will be seated keeping an appropriate distance.
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There will be singing during the ceremony, but the choir will only consist of four people and the participants will not sing. The ceremony, as announced by Buckingham Palace, is primarily to refer to the prince’s military career and his achievements from a later period. The exact program of the ceremony will be presented on Friday evening.
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Prince Philip, who had been married to Elizabeth II for more than 73 years, died Friday at Windsor Castle at the age of 99.
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