Prince Philip planned every detail of his funeral “down to the letter,” and while he said he wanted “no fuss,” Saturday’s ceremonial funeral at St. George’s Chapel was a fitting farewell to the so-called grandfather of the nation.
According to sources close to the royal family, the Queen, widowed after 73 years of marriage, “took great comfort” in the fact that the Iron Duke had been able to have “every conversation that needed to be had” in his final days at Windsor Castle. “It has been a long and sad week, but the Queen has taken great comfort that she and Philip had his final days at Windsor and that in the last year they had so much time together,” a source said. “Every conversation that needed to be had was had, Philip also got to spend some time with Prince Charles which was very important to them both.”
The source continued, “Philip was ready, he had had enough, it was time. This is the funeral he wanted.”
Wearing masks and maintaining social distance inside St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where both Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie were married in recent years, the royal family gathered for the first time in over a year for a somber service that honors the Duke of Edinburgh’s remarkable, near-century of life.
The extremely limited group of 30 mourners included all of Prince Philip and the Queen’s children and grandchildren, as well as relatives from Philip’s German side of the family and the daughter of Philip’s beloved uncle, Lord Mountbatten. Singing was not permitted due to Covid restrictions, but there was a small choir on hand to sing some of the Duke’s favorite hymns. The palace said that the service was “very much in line with the Duke’s wishes.”
The service began with a nationwide minute of silence that was honored across the country. In keeping with the traditions of a ceremonial funeral there is no eulogy. The Dean of Westminster is conducting the service and leading prayers along with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Opening the service David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, praised Philip’s “kindness, humor, and humanity,” and said, “We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the Nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith. Our lives have been enriched through the challenges that he has set us, the encouragement that he has given us, his kindness, humor, and humanity. We therefore pray that God will give us grace to follow his example.”
The 50-minute service consists of readings chosen by the Duke and readings including Psalm 104, which was set to music by guitarist and composer William Lovelady and played for the Duke’s 75th birthday in 1996. A former lieutenant in the Navy who served in the Second World War and was mentioned in dispatches for his brave service, the Duke’s love of the sea is also a strong theme of the service. A great lover of music like his son Prince Charles, Philip also picked a wide range of music from Johann Sebastian Bach to Ralph Vaughan Williams. Among the hymns will be “Eternal Father, Strong To Save” — a religious song sometimes known as the hymn for the Royal Navy. In what is expected to be one of the most moving parts of the service, a bugle will play “Action Stations,” the call to action for those on war ships and a personal request of Prince Philip.
At the end of the service the coffin was lowered into the royal vault while a Lament was played by a Pipe Major from the Royal Regiment of Scotland—the duke was Royal Colonel of the Highlanders, 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland. “The Last Post” was sounded by buglers of the Royal Marines and, after a period of silence, the Reveille was played by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. The National Anthem was sung by the choir.
At the end of the service, all remained standing in their places as Her Majesty The Queen, members of the Royal Family and members of the Duke of Edinburgh’s family left the Chapel via the Galilee Porch escorted by the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As well as the Duke’s military insignia which will be displayed at the altar, Philip’s military cap and ceremonial sword along with a wreath of flowers was laid atop his oak coffin, which was draped in his personal standard. For a man who did not want to be drawn on what his legacy will be when he was alive, his remarkable affiliation with the Armed Forces was well-represented at the service, with around 80 soldiers taking part in the ceremony from regiments that shared a close connection with the Duke. Members of the Army, Navy and Royal Navy took part in the ceremony, including the Royal Gurkha Rifles, the Grenadier Guards, and the Household Cavalry.
To mark the funeral, the Queen shared on Friday a previously unseen photograph of herself and the Duke in the Coyles of Muick close to Balmoral in 2003. The candid picture was taken by her daughter in law Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who has been a rock to the Queen and was seen inspecting the floral tributes with Prince Edward and their daughter Lady Louise at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Sources say the monarch is drawing strength from her faith and her family, who have all spoken movingly about the Duke’s passing and have vowed to be there for the Queen in the coming weeks and months. Her Majesty will be in mourning until April 22, the day after her 95th birthday, which a palace source has said will be a “low key” day.
The funeral services began with a procession from the state entrance at Windsor Castle to the chapel, with the coffin followed by all four of the duke’s children as well as his adult grandsons Prince William, Prince Harry, and Peter Phillips.
Prince Philip retired from public duties in 2017, having spent more than 60 years of marriage accompanying Queen Elizabeth on engagements around the world, in addition to carving out his own role as a patron of a wide range of organizations, particularly those devoted to scientific research, young people, and conservation. Though the funeral was closed to the public given pandemic restrictions on public gatherings, members of the military and other people associated with the duke’s work throughout his life were invited to participate in the procession alongside the royal family.
In the days after Philip’s death, his children and grandchildren made public statements reflecting on his life; though he died after nearly a century of life and following a long hospitalization, Philip’s son Prince Edward still described it as “dreadful shock.” In a televised address filmed at his Highgrove home, Prince Charles said, “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. 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.”
Buckingham Palace has not said what will happen after the funeral service insisting it is a private matter. There will be no wake as such because different households are still not able to mix indoors. Following the service, television cameras showed the members of the royal family walking from the church to private quarters in Windsor Castle, with Prince William and Prince Harry walking together, in conversation.
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