There are many things to consider at Prince Philip’s funeral, many things will be different. Here are all the facts about the funeral.
Prince Philip, who died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99, will be buried next weekend. Due to the corona pandemic, the ceremony will not be as lavish as it should have been for the Prince Consort, who was married to Queen Elizabeth II (94) for around 73 years. And the royal family cohesion also suffered recently due to the sensational TV interview by Prince Harry (36) and Duchess Meghan (39). How all this affects the funeral and all other facts about the funeral can be read here.
The sequence
Currently, Prince Philip’s coffin is still laid out in a private chapel in Windsor Castle. On Saturday, April 17th, at 3:20 p.m. Central European Time, all mourners who are not part of the procession will make their way to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. At 3:40 p.m. (CEST) the coffin is carried out of the castle and placed on a carriage, five minutes later the procession then sets off to the nearby St. George’s Chapel. At 3:53 p.m. (CEST) the procession reaches the west entrance of the church, where the national anthem is played. At 4 p.m. (CEST), the funeral service will finally begin with a national minute of silence.
The transfer
The ceremony can also be seen live in Germany. From Mainz and London, the ZDF will broadcast the “ZDF special: Farewell to Prince Philip – The funeral service for the Duke of Edinburgh” from 3:10 pm to 5:08 pm. “Exclusiv Spezial: Goodbye, Prinz Philip!” Starts at 2 p.m. on RTL, and “Sat.1” says “Farewell to Prince Philip – Sat.1 Spezial” from 2:30 p.m. And “n-tv” will also broadcast the funeral service from 3:25 pm to 5:30 pm.
The procession
According to the “BBC”, the procession consists of five parts. The 1st Foot Guards, known for their eye-catching black bearskin hats, march in front. Behind it are high-ranking members of the military, then follows the wagon on which Prince Philips coffin is located. It is a green Land Rover, the design of which the Prince Consort himself contributed to for years. The members of the royal family walk behind the vehicle, including Prince William (38), Prince Harry, Princess Anne (70) and Prince Charles (72). An interesting detail: the brothers William and Harry will apparently not run next to each other in the funeral procession, between them their cousin Peter Phillips (43) is supposed to walk. The Queen herself is in a carriage at the very end of the procession.
The route
From one of the entrances to Windsor Castle, which is located in the inner courtyard, the shortest route takes you across the castle grounds to St. George’s Chapel. The Queen will not be there as far as the west entrance of the church, she will enter the building via another entrance beforehand.
The coffin
The coffin that Prince Philip is in at the time is reportedly made from more biodegradable wool. He is apparently buried in a custom-made English oak that is said to have been made 30 years ago. The same model was made for the Queen at the same time.
The corona regulations
Because the corona pandemic has still not been defeated in Great Britain, the memorial service is extremely small. Only 30 mourners are allowed, without the crisis, allegedly up to 800 guests would have been expected at a funeral of this size. And strict rules also apply to the 30 people. Only couples are allowed to sit next to each other, a minimum distance of two meters must be maintained and a face mask must be worn. Under these conditions, it could be that the Queen has to sit alone, writes “The Telegraph”.
The guests
In addition to the British monarch, the couple’s children and their partners are expected: Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla (73), Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence (66), Prince Andrew (61) and Prince Edward (57) and Sophie von Wessex (56) . The latter are accompanied by their children Louise (17) and James (13). Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice (32) with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (38) and Princess Eugenie (31) with husband Jack Brooksbank (34) also say goodbye. Prince William and Duchess Kate (39) and Prince Harry appear without children.
Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall (39) with husband Mike Tindall (42) are also among the mourners. They are the children of Princess Anne. The children of the late Princess Margaret, David Armstrong-Jones (59) as well as Sarah Chatto (56) and husband Daniel (63) also come. As well as Queen cousin Prince Richard (76), the Duke of Kent (85), Princess Alexandra (84) and Countess Mountbatten of Burma (67), the coach driver and close friend of the Duke.
Three German aristocrats will also mourn the Queen’s husband locally: Prince Philipp von Hohenlohe-Langenburg (51), grandson of Prince Philips’ sister Margarita, Hereditary Prince Bernhard of Baden (50), grandson of Sister Theodora, and Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hessen (54), a cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh.
The problem cases
The audience present and switched on will be banned and watch out for Prince Harry. For him it is the first return to his homeland after moving to the USA in March 2020 and the headline-grabbing interview with Oprah Winfrey (67). Together with the disgraced Prince Andrew, whose involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal has still not been fully clarified, Harry may have persuaded the Queen to use an unusual word of power that affects clothing at the funeral.
The dress code
It was originally intended that the majority of the members of the British royal family would appear in their uniforms – Philip had wanted a military funeral. Prince Andrew is reported to have even insisted on it, despite stepping down from his public duties in late 2019. Harry, on the other hand, was stripped of his military dignity earlier this year because, from the palace’s point of view, it was incompatible with his new life in the United States.
Instead of optically excluding two family members who have even served in the military, the ultimate goal is to demonstrate unity at the funeral, at least to the outside world. And so the decision to completely forego uniforms at the ceremony, according to the “Daily Mail”, was also personally approved by the Queen. Instead, everyone would now fall back on the conventional black mourning wardrobe.
The absent
With only 30 mourners allowed, countless people with rank and name are left out. The pregnant Duchess Meghan, for example, is said not to have flown to England with her husband for health reasons. Sarah Ferguson (61), the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, is staying in London, but, unlike her daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, did not receive an invitation. According to “Mirror”, however, a special live stream will be made available for them and all other absentees. Everyone who would have been invited under normal circumstances should have been given the confidential access data for the transmission.
The after that
Prince Philip will not find his final resting place immediately after the ceremony on Saturday. First he is buried in the royal crypt in the St. George’s Chapel. But only when the Queen dies will his remains and his wife be laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, a small annex to the St. George Chapel. There are already the remains of King George VI. and Queen Elizabeth, the parents of Elizabeth II. And her younger sister Princess Margaret found her final resting place there in 2002.