A small group of close relatives and friends attended the funeral service for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Covid regulations reduced the scope of the service – which began at 3 p.m. – with public items canceled, mourners reduced from around 800 to just 30, and all guests wearing face masks and sitting at the difference.
Ahead of the ceremony, members of the public traveled to Windsor to pay their respects to the Duke of Edinburgh, although large crowds of royal supporters were nowhere to be found despite the sunshine, due to coronavirus restrictions.
A large police presence was in place to prepare for possible crowds, and signage in the area warned, “Avoid all non-essential travel and do not meet at royal residences.”
Hundreds of officers and stewards wearing purple vests were in place around the historic town while police vans and motorcycles were on the roads.
Armed police could be seen patrolling around Windsor Castle as the grand security operation surrounding the funeral began.
As the morning wore on, more shoppers, tourists, cyclists and sun worshipers could be seen spending their day near Windsor Castle, and many pausing briefly to take photos of the historic building ; some walked around with flowers in their hands while others wore masks bearing Philip’s face.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has also published a new book The Patriarchs – An Elegy, which pays homage to Philip’s distinguished career in the Royal Navy and designates his generation as “husbands on duty” and “birth great-grandfathers” .
Here is everything that happened.
What happened before the funeral?
Philip’s coffin had rested all week in the private chapel at Windsor Castle. At 11 a.m. he was moved by a group of porters from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, to the interior hall of the Royal Residence.
His coffin was covered with a crown, his sword, his naval cap and his personal standard.
At around 2:40 p.m., Grenadier Guards carrying the Duke’s coffin emerged from the official entrance to Windsor Castle and placed it in the specially created Land Rover.
The music was played by the tri-service group in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle before the arrival of the coffin. The songs played were “I promise you my country”, “Supreme Sacrifice”, “Jerusalem”, “Isle of Beauty” and “Nimrord”.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral procession then set off with the casket, followed by members of the Royal Family led by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal.
Every minute of the procession, which lasted eight minutes, a cannon was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle.
Members of the royal family already at St George’s Chapel watched from the entrance to the Porch of Galilee and bowed their heads as the procession passed.
What happened at the funeral?
The service began at 3 p.m. with a national minute of silence.
A bullet fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery marked the start of the national minute of silence, and another booming volley marked its end.
A topless protester ran past a crowd near Windsor Castle after the Duke of Edinburgh’s minute of silence.
The woman ran down the road shouting ‘save the planet’ after the crowd started cheering after the silence, leaping on a statue of Queen Victoria before police removed her from the scene.
Philip’s “unwavering loyalty” to the Queen and “courage, strength and faith” were praised at his funeral. No sermons were delivered during the ceremonial royal service, in accordance with Philip’s wishes.
His love of the sea and his long association with the Royal Navy have permeated the Order of Service, with music chosen by the Duke including the hymn ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’ – traditionally associated with sailors and to the maritime armed forces.
The songs were performed by a choir of three choristers and a soprano only, the congregation being prohibited from singing.
David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, paid tribute to Philip’s “kindness, humor and humanity”. He said: “We are here today in St George’s Chapel to hand over to God the soul of His servant Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“With grateful hearts, we remember the many ways his long life blessed us. We were inspired by her unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by her service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by her courage, courage and faith.
“Our lives have been enriched by the challenges he gave us, the encouragement he gave us, his kindness, his humor and his humanity. We therefore pray that God will give us the grace to follow his example, and that, with our brother Philippe, finally, we will experience the joys of eternal life.
Who attended the funeral?
The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal lead the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and other family members walk behind the Duke’s coffin, carry the Land Rover hearse he helped design, on the procession funeral to which the queen joined, traveling by car.
Dressed in a full face mask and dark black, this was the first time the monarch, grieving for his devoted 73-year-old companion, had been officially seen in public since Philip’s death eight days ago.
The royal brothers, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, who have a difficult relationship, weren’t walking side by side, but with their cousin Peter Phillips between them.
Mourners also included the Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Wessex and her children Viscount Severn and Lady Louise, Zara and Mike Tindall, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Also present were the children of the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, three of Philip’s German parents and his close friend Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
What happened at the end of the service?
In the final moments of the 50-minute service, the Duke of Edinburgh was laid to rest in the royal vault of St George’s Chapel.
His coffin was placed on a catafalque on a marble slab in the Quire and lowered into the vault by an electric motor.
After the blessing pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the congregation remained standing as the choir sang the national anthem.
The funeral ended at 3:49 p.m.
The Queen and her family left the Chapel through the Porch of Galilee escorted by the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title, NationalWorld
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Source: www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-17 14:09:30
