The Royal Family has announced the details of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. The details were revealed in a statement shared on the Royal Family’s official website.
According to the Twitter page of The Royal Family (see tweet below), the plans are in line with the Duke’s wishes.
Prince Philip’s funeral ceremony will start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, according to the statement.
The nation will observe a minute’s silence ahead of the commencement of the funeral service. Members of the Royal Family will observe two weeks of official mourning after the funeral.
The ceremony will be televised, but members of the public will not attend.
The Duke will be carried in a specially-modified Land Rover he helped design
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will be carried to St. George’s Chapel in a purpose-built Land Rover he helped to design.
The Land Rover, specially modified to carry the Duke’s coffin, will travel through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel where the funeral ceremony will take place.
The Procession
The procession will include a Bearer Party, drawn from The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Military members representing detachments of the Duke’s military special relationships will also be posted in front of Windsor Castle.
The pallbearers will be followed by members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, his siblings, the Duke’s grandchildren, and other household members.
The Queen will invite 30 guests, Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t attend
Prince Philip reportedly requested a low-key funeral.
The list of people who will attend the funeral ceremony is expected to consist mostly of senior members of the Royal Family.
According to the Daily Mail, the Queen will invite only about 30 people to the funeral ceremony at St. George’s Chapel, including the clergy who will officiate (the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury).
The 30 will also include Philip’s children, grandchildren, and other senior members of the Royal Family.
Philip’s private secretary, Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, is also expected to be among the guests.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend to allow more members of the Royal Family to make the 30-guest list, according to the Daily Mail.
Philip will be buried in the Royal Vault in St George’s Chapel
The Duke will be “interred in the Royal Vault in St George’s Chapel,” according to the statement by the Royal Family.
After the burial, there “will be a period of National Mourning beginning on Friday 9 April until Saturday 17 April.”
During the period of national mourning, Union flags will be flown at half-mast at Royal Residences, government buildings, military establishments, and at the country’s diplomatic posts around the world.
The Royal Family will observe two weeks of mourning.
Prince Harry will attend his grandfather’s burial
Monsters & Critics reported earlier today that royal sources confirmed Prince Harry will attend Prince Phillip’s funeral.
The Duke of Sussex is expected to return to the U.K. by private jet. While he may be granted a diplomatic exemption to waive the 10-day quarantine rule, he will undergo COVID-19 testing before traveling out of the U.S. and upon arrival in Britain.
Pregnant Meghan Markle won’t attend the funeral on doctor’s advise
Although sources had confirmed that Harry would be returning to the U.K. for his grandfather’s burial, it was at first uncertain whether Markle would travel with him.
However, it has since been confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex will not attend the funeral service. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan, who is pregnant, will be staying at home in Santa Barbara, California, reportedly on the advice of her doctors.
The Sussexes announced they were expecting their second child on Valentine’s Day. The baby, a girl, is expected to arrive in the summer, Monsters & Critics reported.
The Duchess of Sussex is reportedly planning a home birth for their second child.