Passing away just short of his 100th birthday,Prince Philip’s funeralplans had been arranged in advance. However, due to coronavirus, aspects of the program have since had to be revised.
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Still, the Duke of Edinburgh will be delivered the low-key funeral he requested, which is set to be held on Saturday the 17th of April. Prince Philip had planned for himself a royal ceremonial funeral instead of a state funeral, and commemorations reflecting on his military service and charity efforts will replace the formal lying-in-state.
To coincide with current restrictions, only 30 people will be present at the funeral. Members of the public have also been asked to respect any regulations and not attempt to participate in any of the events.
How to watch Prince Philip’s funeral
In lieu of any public attendance, Prince Philip’s funeral will be covered live on Sky News from 2 pm on the 17th of April, followed by a national moment of silence at 3 pm.
The funeral will be taking place inside St George’s Chapel, the very same place wherePrince Harry and Meghan Markle got married in 2018. From there, the Duke will be carried to the West Steps in a Land Rover, which he helped to specially design. Following the funeral, the royals will observe two weeks of mourning until the 22nd of April, where they will attend events where appropriate. The UK is also in a national period of mourning until Saturday. This means that news reporters will be required to wear black. Sporting events may still go ahead, but players are also encouraged to wear black armbands. During this time, flags will also be flying at half-mast.
The royal family have also urged those wanting to lay flowers outside the Buckingham Palace to instead consider donating to charity.
Prince Charles also appeared recently to give a speech on behalf of the royal family. He stated: ‘I particularly wanted to say that my father, for I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to The Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth. As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously.’
He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow.
Prince Charles continued:
My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time. Thank you.
Prince Harry arrives in UK ahead of funeral
Senior royals are expected to be among the 30 people in attendance, but the complete guest list for the funeral has been kept under wraps.
Prince Harry will also be attending his grandfather’s funeral, arriving in the UK last night for the first time since resigning from his royal duties. Harry also arrived without Meghan as the Duchess was not cleared for travel due to her pregnant state. The Duke of Sussex landed at Heathrow Airport at 1:15 am last night, where he was then whisked off to quarantine at Kensington Palace. The Prince will not complete the required ten days in isolation before the funeral but will instead be allowed out early on compassionate grounds. However, to enter the country, Harry would have had to provide a negative COVID test and will be required to undertake at least two more.
Former prime minister Sir John Major who was guardian over Harry and William after their mother’s death, has also suggested that Prince Philip’s funeral is a huge opportunity for Harry and the royals to work through their issues.
