The British Prince Philip will be buried on Saturday, after he died last Friday at the age of 99. NU.nl lists what will take place in and around St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon.
Prince Philip already arranged much of his funeral himself. He wanted “no fuss” and that is why it will not be a state funeral according to his wishes. The ceremony takes place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. This is also the place where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, among others, got married.
The ceremony has been extensively rehearsed in advance. People involved use the code name for the funeral “Operation Forth Bridge” (after the nineteenth-century railway bridge connecting the shore of the Firth of Forth in Scotland). About 730 soldiers will play a role in this and have therefore gone through many rehearsals (photo). Prince Philip held several honorary positions in the army during his life. The Band of the Grenadier Guards, one of the bands in the British Army, will lead the procession. A selection of Philips military medals will also be on the altar during the service.
Part of Philips military medals.
Part of Philips military medals. Photo: BrunoPress
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The casket in which Philip lies is accompanied by the Dean of Windsor (the spiritual head of the church) and the Lord Chamberlain (the highest officer of the royal house) are brought to the entrance of Windsor Castle (where Elizabeth and Philip lived during the Corona period).
Several of the Grenadier Guards, an infantry regiment of the British Army, will carry the chest. They will place the box on a Land Rover co-designed by Philip that will drive to St George’s Chapel. The coffin is then carried to the church, followed by several members of the royal family and palace workers. Prince Harry and William will not walk side by side – presumably because of their deteriorated relationship – in the procession behind the coffin they will be separated by their cousin Peter Phillips (eldest son of Princess Anne).
During this procession gun salutes will be fired and the church bell of the Curfew Tower will ring. When the chest reaches the stairs of the church, the British National Anthem will be played. After the box is carried up the stairs, a minute of silence is held across Britain. Then the service starts.
Planning the procession.
Planning the procession.
Photo: Bart-Jan Dekker
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According to British corona rules, only thirty people are welcome at the funeral, so the public is not welcome. Under normal circumstances that would have been about eight hundred men. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already announced that he will therefore offer his place to someone of the family. The exact guest list is not yet known, but Prince Harry has announced that he will be present at the funeral. His heavily pregnant wife Meghan stays behind, because she is now not allowed to make long journeys. Philip’s great-grandchildren, such as Prince William’s children, also stay at home.
All guests wear a mouth mask during the ceremony and Queen Elizabeth (94) sits alone because of the corona measures.
The funeral guests do not wear military uniforms Wearing it became a touchy topic when Prince Andrew resigned his royal duties in 2019 due to his friendship with American Jeffrey Epstein. He is therefore no longer allowed to wear a military uniform, nor can Prince Harry who resigned his royal duties last year. They would then look out of place with the others. To prevent this from overshadowing Philip’s funeral, it has been decided that no one should wear a military uniform. It is expected that everyone is dressed in a suit.
Prince William will not wear a military uniform on Saturday, just like the other guests.
Prince William will not wear a military uniform on Saturday, just like the other guests.
Photo: BrunoPress
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The funeral will be broadcast live on NPO1 in the Netherlands from 3.30 pm to 5 pm, during a program presented by Astrid Kersseboom. There is a special episode of the royalty program for that Blue blood to see. The BBC, which received more than 100,000 complaints about the much attention paid by the broadcaster to the death of the prince, is bigger. They start at 12:00 (Dutch time) with a documentary about Philip. The broadcast around his funeral starts at 1.30 pm, which lasts until 5.20 pm.
Prince Philip is not laid out. After the funeral he will be given a resting place in a private chapel near Windsor Castle. When Elizabeth dies, the couple are transferred to the King George VI memorial chapel. Here are also Elizabeth’s parents and her sister, Princess Margaret.
The royal family will enter a mourning period of two weeks after the funeral. After that, their royal duties will resume, although appointments will probably also be moved to another time.
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