Buckingham Palace revealed the list of 30 people who will participate in the funeral service of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, this Saturday.
Prince Philip, who passed away last Friday at the age of 99, will be buried on Saturday at 3pm local (10am ET) at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, west London.
For years the details of the funeral were planned. However, the memorial service had to be shortened due to the pandemic. The congregation of mourners will only be made up of relatives and close friends of the dear patriarch.
Still, the commemoration will uphold the colorful traditions of a royal funeral and “are a reflection of the duke’s military affiliations and personal elements in the life of his royal highness,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Thursday.
The palace spokesman said the family was “grateful” for the messages of condolence that had been sent to them from all over the world.
“The tributes received from people young and old are truly a testament to the extraordinary life and enduring labors of His Royal Highness,” he added.
Tribe on an island paid tribute to Prince Philip 1:03
More than 700 members of the Armed Forces of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force will provide ceremonial support during the funeral.
The demanding life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 4:54
A procession that may remind some of Diana’s funeral
Princes William and Harry will gather to walk behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin with his father, Charles, and other members of the royal family, as part of a private procession before Saturday’s funeral service.
While the queen will not participate in the procession before the service, Prince Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, will follow a specially adapted Land Rover that will carry the duke’s coffin to the chapel. The trip is expected to last about eight minutes.
This is the route of the private procession that will carry the coffin to the Chapel of St. George for the funeral service.
His brothers, Eduardo and Andrés, will participate in the procession immediately behind them. William and Harry will go later. They will be separated by his cousin Peter Philips. And behind them will be the last members of the family, Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon.
Tribute to Prince Philip in front of Buckingham Palace 2:02
Royals not participating in the procession, such as the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, will see her outside the Galilee porch of the chapel with the 94-year-old monarch. This also includes blood relatives on the Duke’s side who will be present, including Philip’s great-nephews, the Crown Prince of Baden, and the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
The decision of some royals to walk behind the coffin will generate inevitable comparisons with Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997. On that occasion, Charles, William and Harry participated in a similar procession alongside Prince Philip and Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer.
Saturday’s memorial will be unlike any other recent royal funeral due to the coronavirus pandemic. The congregation will wear masks during the service, the palace spokesman said.
According to the duke’s wishes, it is to be a ceremonial funeral rather than a state event. All preparations will be carried out inside Windsor Castle and without public participation, making sure to comply with the measures against covid-19.
Members of the king’s troop leave Windsor Castle, west London, on April 15.
Changes to tradition
Breaking with tradition, members of the royal family will not be dressed in military uniforms and instead will wear jackets with medals or day clothes, the spokesperson added.
The question of clothing came up in recent days after some British media reported that Prince Andrew wanted to wear an admiral’s uniform. Andrés was retired from his royal duties in 2019 over his ties to the late financial mogul and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York joined the Royal Navy in 1979 as a sailor’s officer, subspecializing as a pilot. He was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in 2015, when he turned 55. He was scheduled to be promoted to admiral when he turned 60, but that did not happen following a disastrous interview with the BBC in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein.
The decision not to wear uniforms also solves a family dilemma, as Prince Harry recently lost his honorary military titles when he decided to stop being royal with his wife Meghan.
Harry and Meghan’s message about Felipe’s death 0:45
Harry was enlisted in the British Armed Forces for almost a decade before completing his military service in 2015. He served twice in Afghanistan and rose to the rank of captain in 2011. He also qualified as an Apache aircraft commander.
During the service, a choir of four will sing the music selected by Felipe for the occasion. They will be seated in the craft, maintaining social distancing from reunited family members and close attendees. A notable absence will be the lack of congregational singing, prohibited based on public health guidelines.
After the service, the coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault below the chapel while the choir sings the national anthem.
Guest list for Prince Philip’s funeral
Here is the full list of guests attending the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral:
- The Queen
- Prince of wales
- The Duchess of Cornwall
- The Duke of Cambridge
- The Duchess of Cambridge
- The Duke of Sussex
- The Duke of York
- Princess beatrice
- Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess eugenia
- Jack Brooksbank
- The Earl of Wessex
- The Countess of Wessex
- Lady Louise Windsor
- Vizconde Severn
- The royal princess
- Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
- Peter Phillips
- Zara Phillips
- Mike Tindal
- Earl of Snowdon
- Lady Sarah Chatto
- Daniel Chatto
- Duque of Gloucester
- Duque de Kent
- Princess Alexandra
- Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
- Prince Donatus of Hesse
- Prince Philip of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
- Countess Mountbatten of Burma