Prince Philip’s funeral will take place next Saturday, April 17. His grandson Prince Harry will be present at the funeral. Buckingham Palace announced this on Saturday.
The funeral, which takes place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, is not open to the public due to the corona crisis. The service is broadcast on national television. It will not be a state funeral, because Prince Philip did not want it.
Just before the ceremony begins, a minute of silence is held across the UK. The body of the Duke of Edinburgh is brought to the chapel in a Land Rover designed by him.
Buckingham Palace emphasizes that during the service those present will comply with the measures, which means that the royal family will wear mouth masks.
No statements have yet been made about the guest list, but only thirty people are welcome under UK corona rules. So Prince Harry is one of them. He’s on his way from the United States. His wife Meghan Markle stays behind. Because she is heavily pregnant, she is not advised to travel.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday evening that he will not be present, so that an extra place for the immediate family will be available.
The last time a member of the British royal family received a grand ceremonial funeral was in 2002. That was when Queen Elizabeth I, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 101. About 200,000 people then came to say goodbye in the hall of Westminster. Earlier that year, Princess Margaret passed away.
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