Funeral to reward Philip’s ‘courage’ and assist for queen

Prince Philip might be remembered as a person of “courage, fortitude and faith” on Saturday, at a funeral that salutes each his service within the Royal Navy and his assist for Queen Elizabeth II over three quarters of a century. Philip, who died April 9 on the age of 99 after 73 years of marriage, might be laid to relaxation within the Royal Vault at Windsor Castle after a funeral service steeped in navy and royal custom but additionally pared down and infused together with his personal persona.
Coronavirus restrictions imply that as a substitute of the 800 mourners included within the longstanding plans for his funeral, there might be solely 30 contained in the fortress’s St. George’s Chapel, together with the widowed queen, her 4 kids and her eight grandchildren.
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. More 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.
Artist Kaya Mar carries a portrait of Prince Philip forward of the Prince’s funeral in Windsor, England Saturday April 17, 2021. Philip died April 9 on the age of 99 after 73 years of marriage to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Coronavirus restrictions imply there might be solely 30 mourners for the service, together with the widowed queen, her 4 kids and her eight grandchildren. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
To deter crowds gathering throughout a pandemic, the whole procession and funeral will happen inside the grounds of the fortress, a 950-year-old royal residence 20 miles (about 30 kilometers) west of London. It might be proven reside on tv.
Philip was deeply concerned within the funeral planning, and features of it mirror his persona, together with his love of the rugged Land Rover. Philip drove a number of variations of the four-wheel drive car for many years till he was compelled to surrender his license at 97 after a crash. His physique might be carried to the chapel on a modified Land Rover Defender that he designed himself.

The kids of Philip and the queen “Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward” will stroll behind the hearse. So will grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, though not aspect by aspect. The brothers, whose relationship has been strained amid Harry’s choice to stop royal duties and transfer to California, will flank their cousin Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne.
The second is more likely to stir reminiscences of the picture of William and Harry at 15 and 12, strolling behind their mom Princess Diana’s coffin in 1997, accompanied by their grandfather Philip. Armed forces bands will play hymns and classical music earlier than the funeral service, which can even be preceded by a nationwide minute of silence.
Inside the Gothic chapel, the setting for hundreds of years of royal weddings and funerals, the service might be easy and somber. There might be no sermon, at Philip’s request, and no household eulogies or readings, in line with royal protocol. But Dean of Windsor David Conner will say the nation has been enriched by Philip’s “unwavering loyalty to our queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith.”