A Royal Funeral

Funeral preparations for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband (of 73 years), are underway for Saturday, 17th April. The (former) Duke of Edinburgh passed away on 9th April 2021 at age 99.

The ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George's Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 15:00 BST, and it will be televised. He will rest in the private chapel at Windsor Castle until the day of the funeral, instead of lying in state where the public would have been able to view his coffin. The duke will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral, to comply with the covid restrictions and the duke’s personal wishes.

Upon his engagement to the then-Princess Elizabeth, Prince Philip renounced his Greek titles and became a British citizen, and took his mother's anglicised maiden name, Mountbatten. On 17th, the coffin will be moved from the private chapel to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle, in a modified Land Rover, and then carried to St George's Chapel.

The duke served as a naval officer during World War Two and held, among other titles, the office of Lord High Admiral. This adds more significance to the military salutes that took place across the UK (and in Gibraltar) at midday on Saturday.

The duke’s coffin is draped in a flag personalised to his life: components of his Greek heritage to his British titles, along with a ceremonial wreath of flowers. The duke's insignia - medals and decorations awarded to him by the UK and Commonwealth countries - his Field Marshal's baton, Royal Air Force Wings and insignia from Denmark and Greece will be displayed on cushions on the altar in St George's Chapel. After the service, the duke will be interred in the royal vault.

The day of the funeral marks the ending of the national period of mourning the country is currently in. Union jacks and national flags will fly at half-mast on all government buildings. Union jacks on royal buildings, where the Queen is not in residence, will also fly at half-mast. However, wherever the Queen is present, the Royal Standard, which represents the sovereign and continuation of the monarchy, never flies at half-mast and will be flown at full-mast.

The main political parties of England, Scotland and Wales have suspended campaigning for next month's elections, out of respect. The MPs of the House of Commons will sit-in Monday to pay their tributes to the duke.

The Queen has given final approval to the funeral plans, codenamed Forth Bridge, and eight days of national mourning, which will end on Saturday. The Royal Family will observe two weeks of mourning (starting from the day of Philip’s death) - but members will continue to attend engagements and wear black mourning bands where appropriate. COVID-19 restrictions in England allow only 30 people, socially distanced, at funerals, excluding pallbearers and clergy. Details of the invited guests or family members are yet to be announced.

The pre-pandemic arrangements of the day would have included thousands of people gathering in London and Windsor, with some even camping out to get a vantage point to watch the military procession. The streets would have been lined with hundreds of members of the armed forces, along with thousands of police officers on crowd control. After the pandemic, plans for royal funerals and the days leading up to the have been amended.

In line with the public health advice, the public has been asked not to try to attend any of the funeral events. They have also been asked by the Royal Family to not leave flowers and tributes at royal residences, instead asked to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes in memory of the duke. The public can also relay their regards and post their personal tributes in an online book of condolences. The plaque announcing the duke’s death was soon removed because of concerns it would attract crowds. Flowers, cards, and tributes were still placed outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

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