Buckingham Palace on Thursday unveiled the full plans for Prince Philip‘s funeral. Set to take place on Saturday, April 17, a little more than a week after his death, the service will be attended by just 30 people, with the Duke of Edinburgh’s casket being followed from Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel by a procession of royal family members. Prince William and Prince Harry, whose relationship has been in the spotlight following the latter’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, will not walk side-by-side.
According to The Guardian, Philip’s casket will move through the grounds of Windsor Estate in an eight-minute-long procession, which will be led by his and Queen Elizabeth’s two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward will follow behind their older siblings, and Harry and William will walk behind their uncles and will be separated by their cousin Peter Phillips. Inside the chapel, William will walk beside Phillips and ahead of Harry. It had previously been believed that the royal brothers would walk side-by-side, despite the reported distance in their relationship. The news also comes after it was reported William and Harry have spoken to one another via phone in the days since Harry arrived in the U.K. from California. The decision, according to the Palace, was made by the Queen, who “signed off” on “all arrangements” for her husband’s funeral. The Palace, according to a spokesperson, would not be drawn on any “perceptions of drama.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The Associated Press reports that members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force and the British Army will also take part in the procession. Philip’s casket will then be carried to St. George’s Chapel on a specially adapted Land Rover that he designed himself. The Queen, meanwhile, will travel in the state Bentley at the rear of the ceremonial procession and be accompanied by a lady-in-waiting.
Once in the chapel, all in attendance will wear masks, in line with coronavirus guidelines, and no military uniforms will be worn, the royals instead wearing civilian clothes. At this time, no seating arrangement has been released, though it is believed the Queen will sit alone. Those in attendance will include Philip’s children and grandchildren as well as relatives from the German side of his family – Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg – who have already arrived in the U.K.
Philip passed away on Friday, April 9 at the age of 99. He was the longest-serving consort to a British sovereign. His funeral is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET, beginning with a three-minute moment of silence, and will be broadcast on CBS and CBS News.
