Prince Philip's funeral next Saturday as Meghan is advised by doctors not to travel 

The country will hold a minute’s silence as the Duke of Edinburgh is carried to his funeral next week, on a specially-modified Land Rover he helped design.  

Buckingham Palace today announced that Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral will take place on April 17 in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and a national minute’s silence will be observed as it begins at 3pm. 

Prince Harry will travel to the UK to be with his family for the service, but his wife Meghan will remain at their home in California, having been ‘advised not to travel’ by her doctor, the Palace confirmed tonight. 

Official royal mourning will then take place for two weeks after the funeral.  

Only 30 people – expected to be the Duke’s children, grandchildren and other close family – will attend as guests, but the Duchess of Sussex has been ‘advised by her physician not to travel to the UK’ for the funeral.  

The announcement came as Prince Charles paid a poignant tribute to his father, describing his ‘dear Papa’ as a ‘very special person’ and ‘the most remarkable, devoted’ companion to the Queen in an emotional video released this evening. 

In a moving address, speaking without notes, the Prince of Wales said his father would have been ‘deeply touched’ by the sorrow felt by millions of people in Britain and across the world at news of his passing. 

He said he would miss his father ‘enormously’ and added that his family were ‘deeply grateful’ for the condolences offered, which he said would ‘sustain us’ at this ‘particularly sad time’. 

The Earl and the Countess of Wessex spent around an hour with the Queen at the castle on Saturday, with a tearful Sophie telling reporters as she left: ‘The Queen has been amazing.’ 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin will be transported in a ceremonial procession to his funeral on a Land Rover he helped to design.

It is a fitting tribute to Philip, who was known for his practical skills and his enduring interest in design and engineering.

The purpose-built Land Rover was specially modified to carry a coffin in a project that the Duke helped with many years ago.

The vehicle will process slowly through the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of the duke’s funeral on Saturday at St George’s Chapel.

A bearer party from the Grenadier Guards will place the coffin on the Land Rover at the state entrance of the castle, before the vehicle begins the eight-minute journey at walking pace to the west steps of the chapel.

It will be flanked by pall bearers reflecting the duke’s special relationships with the military – the Royal Marines, Regiments, Corps and Air Stations.

Immediately behind the Land Rover, the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family, likely to be the duke’s other children and some of his grandchildren, will proceed on foot.

The Land Rover’s poignant role in the funeral proceedings always formed part of Operation Forth Bridge – the codename given to the plans following Philip’s death. 

A senior Palace official said: ‘The Duke of Edinburgh had a hand many years ago in the design of these vehicles.’ The official added that there were two Land Rovers for ‘belt and braces’.

The Queen has approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation of national mourning, which began on April 9 and runs until and including the day of the funeral. 

It is understood Meghan made every effort to be able to travel with Harry, who will be among the mourners, but has not received the medical clearance to board a plane.

Originally 800 people would have been due to gather to pay their respects to the nation’s longest serving consort, but Philip is known to have wanted a low key affair.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral to allow for the attendance of as many family members as possible during coronavirus restrictions, No 10 said tonight.

The first guest confirmed by the palace is the duke’s private secretary, Archie Miller Bakewell. 

All public elements of the funeral have been cancelled, it will be televised but take place entirely in the grounds of the castle, the Palace said. 

The Queen has decided the royal family will enter two weeks of royal mourning, and engagements will continue appropriate to the circumstances, a senior royal official said.

Public elements of Operation Forth Bridge – the codename for the duke’s funeral plans – were abandoned for fear of drawing crowds including the long held arrangements for military processions through London and Windsor.

Instead, the proceedings will take place entirely in the grounds of Windsor Castle, televised, but away from public view and with no access for royal fans.

The duke died peacefully in his sleep at Windsor Castle on Friday, two months before his 100th birthday, leaving the Queen and the royal family ‘mourning his loss’. 

The Duke of York arrived at Windsor on Saturday, while the Prince of Wales visited his mother there on Friday. 

Gun salutes have been fired across the UK, in Gibraltar and at sea in tribute to the duke.

A No 10 spokesperson said: ‘As a result of the coronavirus regulations, only 30 people can attend the funeral of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

‘The Prime Minister has throughout wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the Royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral on Saturday.’

On the day of the funeral, the duke’s coffin, accompanied by the Dean of Windsor and the Lord Chamberlain, will be moved to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle by a Bearer Party of The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. 

On the grass in the Castle’s Quadrangle will be representative detachments drawn from Philip’s military special relationships.

The Quadrangle will also be lined by the Household Cavalry and The Foot Guards. The Band of the Grenadier Guards, of which Philip was Colonel for 42 years, will lead the procession to St George’s Chapel.

They will be followed by the Major General’s Party, and then the Service Chiefs, reflecting His Royal Highness’s close relationship with the military.  

The coffin, borne on the Land Rover, will be flanked by pallbearers drawn from the duke’s special relationships – the Royal Marines, regiments, corps and air stations.

The procession from the state entrance to the west steps of St George’s Chapel will take eight minutes.

The Prince of Wales and members of the royal family will take part in the procession on foot, immediately behind the duke’s coffin, together with staff from Philip’s household.

The route of the procession will be lined by representatives drawn from the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Air Force.

Minute guns will be fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the east lawn of Windsor Castle for the duration of the procession, and the Curfew Tower Bell will toll.

A Guard of Honour and Band from The Rifles will receive the coffin at the foot of the west steps, with the national anthem being played as the coffin enters Horseshoe Cloister.

In tribute to Philip’s Naval service, a Royal Naval Piping Party of 1 Chief Petty Officer and 5 Ratings will be present.

The piping party will pipe the ‘Still’ once the Land Rover is stationery at the foot of the steps.

A bearing party of Royal Marines will carry the coffin up the steps and pause for the minute’s silence. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor will then receive the coffin.

In keeping with coronavirus guidelines to limit guests inside the chapel, most of the procession will not enter St George’s, except for members of the royal family, and the duke’s private secretary Archie Miller Bakewell.

A Palace spokesman said: ‘This event will be much reduced in scale with no public access. 

‘In line with Government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the duke’s funeral will take place entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle.

‘The plans have been given final approval by the Queen and reflect appropriately Government advice.

‘Despite these necessary changes, they still very much reflect the personal wishes of the duke.

‘Although the ceremonial arrangements are reduced, the occasion will still celebrate and recognise the duke’s life and his more than 70 years of service to the Queen, the UK and the Commonwealth.’

The Royal Family still faces a dilemma over who to invite to Prince Philip’s funeral due to the coronavirus restrictions in place across England.

The Queen will only be able to invite 30 people to the ceremony – plus the clergy – at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Originally there were going to be 800 mourners from across the Duke of Edinburgh’s military units, charities and associates from across the Commonwealth.

The final list, which is expected in the next few days, will likely be made up of senior members of the Royal Family as well as the Prime Minister.

Prince Philip said he wanted a funeral with minimal fuss, but the passing of Britain’s longest serving consort was always going to be a big affair – and lorries were today seen hauling scaffolding into Windsor Castle for the preparations.

His hope for a ‘royal ceremonial funeral’ – similar to the Queen Mother’s – rather than a full state funeral, had already been granted.

But the pandemic and restrictions means this has been hastily redrawn, with Her Majesty said to have been in talks with officials last night.

They tweaked Operation Forth Bridge and are having to drastically scale back the number of people invited to the ceremony, next Saturday.

The names of those invited have not been released, but it is expected to be mostly made up of senior members of the Royal Family.

The first names on the list will likely be Her Majesty, Prince Charles and Prince William – those directly in line to the throne.

Prince Philip’s other children are also expected to be there: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Next could be the partners of the senior royals, who are present at most official events.

These are Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess Royal’s husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. 

The rest of those to be invited is less certain but the remaining could heavily feature more distant members of the Royal Family.

Princess Anne’s children Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall could be there, with Zara’s husband and former England rugby star Mike also present.

Princess Beatrice could be joined by Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who she married last year.

Her younger sister Princess Eugenie may well also be invited, along with her husband of three years Jack Brooksbank.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex’s children may also make the cut – Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

It is also likely the Queen will invite her cousins and their spouses: Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who have offered loyal support and service over the years.

And the Queen is close to the children of her late sister Princess Margaret – her nephew the Earl of Snowdon and niece Lady Sarah Chatto – and is likely to want them to be present as a source of comfort. 

Before the pandemic, it was planned the vehicle would transport the duke’s coffin from Wellington Arch in central London to Windsor, and travel up the Long Walk, with members of the royal family joining the procession part way and walking through Windsor town centre to the castle.

All public elements of the funeral have been removed – including large-scale processions through London and Windsor – so as not to draw crowds during the coronavirus crisis.

A Palace spokesman said: ‘The duke had a great interest in design so that is where the involvement of the Land Rover comes from.

‘The Land Rover was very much part of the original plans as approved by the duke.’ 

Following the duke’s death at the age of 99 on Friday, Jaguar Land Rover paid tribute, highlighting Philip’s ‘significant contribution to UK manufacturing, engineering and design’.

The firm said on Twitter: ‘We are deeply saddened by the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

‘Our thoughts are with Her Majesty The Queen & Royal Family. The Duke devoted his life to public service & made a significant contribution to UK manufacturing, engineering & design.’

In 2019, the duke, then 97, was driving a Land Rover Freelander when he was involved in a serious car crash involving a mother and a baby.

The car Philip was driving was hit by another vehicle when he pulled out of a driveway on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on to a busy A road, after being dazzled by the low sun.

The duke’s car flipped over and he was trapped, and had to be rescued through the sunroof by a passing motorist. He was miraculously unscathed.

The baby was unhurt, but both women in the other vehicle had to be treated in hospital, and one broke her wrist.

Three weeks after the crash, Buckingham Palace announced that Philip’s driving days on public roads were finally over and that he had voluntarily surrendered his driving licence.

The CPS later confirmed Philip would face no action over the crash.

The Queen and Philip’s 10 great-grandchildren – Savannah and Isla Phillips; Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge; Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall; Archie Mountbatten-Windsor; and August Brooksbank – are likely to be considered too young to attend the televised proceedings as all are aged 10 and under. 

Under the previous plans for his funeral – known in the royal household as ‘Forth Bridge’ – his body would have been embalmed immediately and taken to the Albert Memorial Chapel by St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The duke’s coffin currently lies at rest in the private chapel of Windsor Castle. 

Under pre-Covid plans, it would have been brought to London today by road and taken to St James’s Palace to reside temporarily in the intimate Chapel Royal.

The College of Arms said yesterday there will be no lying-in-state and Philip’s coffin would lie at rest at Windsor Castle ahead of his funeral in St George’ Chapel, next Saturday.

It will have been draped with his personal standard – which bears references to his Danish and Greek royal heritage, his Mountbatten roots and Edinburgh title – and a floral wreath from his family.

A vigil by his children – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward – is likely to take place at Windsor. 

The duke will be placed on a gun carriage belonging to the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, drawn by a Royal Navy gun crew. 

The carriage – a personal request by Philip – is the one that carried Queen Victoria at her funeral in 1901. 

Twelve singers known as lay clerks still live there, and they will perform during the service, with a bell tolling throughout. 

The coffin will be taken into the Quire – the resting place of most of the monarchs buried at the chapel.

Inside or under the Quire are Edward VII, Henry VI, Edward IV, George III, George IV and William IV, Henry VIII and Charles I.

Philip’s catafalque will be placed on a black marble slab, which is the entrance to the Royal Vault.

The hymns requested by the prince are believed to include his favourite seafarer’s anthem, For Those In Peril On The Sea. 

At the end of the service a Psalm and the ‘ashes to ashes’ text will be read as a piper plays a lament. 

The coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault and will remain there until the Queen dies and they are buried together in the memorial chapel.

The day after the funeral, flags will be brought back to full mast, although the Court will remain in mourning for three more weeks.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: ‘During the coronavirus pandemic, and in light of current government advice and social distancing guidelines, modified funeral and ceremonial arrangements for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being considered by Her Majesty The Queen. Details will be confirmed in due course.’ 

The Queen has entered an eight-day period of mourning following the death of her husband aged 99 – as arrangements for his funeral, codenamed Operation Forth Bridge, have begun.

Royal fans have been told not to attend any part of the events that make up the funeral due to Covid restrictions.

They have also been asked not to lay flowers that could encourage crowds which may spread the coronavirus. 

The number of people wanting to pay tribute to the Duke could present difficulties for police forces due to England’s ban on gatherings of more than six people or two households. 

Buckingham Palace instead invited well-wishers to sign a book of condolences – but only online, to avoid crowds and queues. 

The royal family has appealed to people who wish to pay their respects in person to stay at home instead.

The Palace spokesman said: ‘While there is sadness that the public will not be able to physically be part of events to commemorate the life of the duke, the royal family asks that anyone wishing to express their condolences do so in the safest way possible and not by visiting Windsor or any other royal palaces to pay their respects.

‘The family’s wish is very much that people continue to follow the guidelines to keep themselves and others safe.

‘His Royal Highness’s funeral will be broadcast to enable as many people as possible to be part of the occasion, to mourn with us and celebrate a truly extraordinary life.’ 

Police officers on horses stopped crowds forming in front of a sign announcing his death on the railings of the palace.

During the eight days of mourning The Queen will not carry out any duties even in private under Covid restrictions, laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused. 

Scores of people will be involved in the days ahead, from military guards and the clergy, to staff at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, who will be making sure the household continues to run smoothly during this traumatic time for the Queen.  

Official engagements, most of which are presently online, can continue during this time, although most are postponed or cancelled, but it depends on the wishes of the monarch.

In non-pandemic times, social engagements would usually be cancelled, except those for charitable causes. 

There are various types of mourning, but Royal – also known as Court – Mourning, includes the royal family, royal households and the Queen’s representatives in the UK and abroad wearing black and also using black-edged writing paper. 

Most of Britain’s monarchs are buried in Westminster Abbey and St George’s Chapel, but both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are in a mausoleum in Frogmore Gardens. 

After her husband’s death, Victoria lived largely in isolation at Balmoral until she died on January 22, 1901. Her 40 years of mourning severely damaged the monarchy. 

Following the Duke’s death, Union flags will fly at half-mast around Britain, but Philip will not lie in state and there will be no state funeral.

The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, will be in charge of arrangements.

The Queen is also expected to broadcast a televised message to the nation at some stage over the next few days, although this is dependent on how she feels.

In normal times, there would be early morning rehearsals over the next week for a gun carriage and procession through the streets of London, and another in Windsor.

The day before his funeral, the coffin would be moved across the road from Chapel Royal to the Queen’s Chapel to allow an easier transfer to the gun carriage.

The funeral itself would be held in Windsor, while a military procession would take place from St James’s Palace, down Marlborough Road and up The Mall.

The gun carriage holding the coffin would then pass around the Queen Victoria Memorial, Buckingham Palace and up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch.

Members of the military would lead the procession, with the royal family and household walking behind – but the Queen would be expected to go straight to Windsor. 

At Wellington Arch, there would be a royal salute before a ceremonial transfer sees with the coffin moved to a Land Rover hearse or car and taken to Windsor. 

On arrival in Windsor, there would be a slow procession driven up the Long Walk with drummers, military and members of the royal family following behind.

It would move up the Long Walk, through Cambridge Gate and then onto Park Street, High Street, past the Guildhall and Castle Hill and in through the Henry VIII gate. 

The arrangements are codenamed Forth Bridge, after the Scottish landmark and Unesco World Heritage Site.

The railway bridge, crossing the Forth Estuary in Scotland, which opened in 1890, remains one of the greatest cantilever trussed bridges 

Plans for the aftermath of the duke’s death have been in place for many years, and were updated and reviewed regularly by Buckingham Palace staff in consultation with the Queen and Philip.

Complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, Forth Bridge has been adjusted to take account of the crisis.

The duke’s funeral was due to have a strong military presence in recognition of his naval career and his links with the armed forces.

But the prospect of creating a spectacle that could potentially attract hundreds of thousands of people means there is no longer expected to be a military procession in London or any processions through Windsor.  

Those servicemen and women taking part will rapidly begin their preparations, from practising routines to polishing helmets and swords. 

Royal dressers will be fastidiously choosing and preparing black mourning ensembles.

Thames Valley Police will be tasked with dealing with the security needed in the days ahead, and preventing mass gatherings.

The Royal Households have a long history of making detailed plans for royal funerals.

Arrangements for the Queen Mother’s – codenamed Tay Bridge – were 22 years old by the time she died at the age of 101.

London Bridge is the codename for the Queen’s funeral plans.

In 2004, thieves broke into a car which belonged to a palace press officer at a motorway service station and made off with a briefcase which contained the secret plans regarding the Queen .

But the case and its confidential contents were found and returned by a member of the public.

It was once said that Philip, who was known for his acerbic wit, was amused by the fact that many of those involved in the planning of his funeral had themselves died before him.

Not all royal death arrangements have been so meticulously ordered.

Queen Victoria died at the age of 81 in 1901 after a period of ill health, but the Earl Marshal, who was responsible for the funeral, had no plans in place.

The complex arrangements, including transporting Victoria’s body across the Solent from the Isle of Wight and facilitating a two-hour military procession through London involving thousands of people, had to be organised from scratch in 10 days.

In contrast, her son, Edward VII, insisted his own funeral was planned well in advance.

 

 

 

 

‘I will miss my dear papa’: Prince Charles pays tribute to his ‘very special’ father as he praises him for his ‘devoted service to Queen and country’ and says that the royal family are ‘deeply grateful’ for moving tributes

Prince Charles today paid tribute to his ‘dear Papa’ as he spoke for the first time following news of his father Prince Philip’s death yesterday morning.

In a pre-recorded video message, the Prince of Wales said his father had given ‘the most remarkable, devoted service’ to ‘The Queen, to my family and to the country’, as well as the Commonwealth. 

The Duke of Edinburgh was, he said, a ‘very special person’ who would have been ‘deeply touched’ by the sorrow felt by millions of people in Britain and across the world at news of his passing. 

He said he would miss his father ‘enormously’ and added that his family were ‘deeply grateful’ for the condolences offered, which he said would ‘sustain us’ at this ‘particularly sad time’. 

Prince Charles finished his message by simply saying: ‘Thank you’. 

His words followed emotional tributes paid by his brother Prince Edward and the younger man’s wife the Countess of Wessex earlier on Saturday.   

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the Prince of Wales was the only member of the Royal Family who had been able to visit Prince Philip during his four-week stay in hospital, which ended last month. 

Charles’s video message comes after he was earlier seen leaving Windsor Castle, where his mother the Queen remains following Prince Philip’s death yesterday morning. 

A source close to Charles said he was ‘comforted’ by the fact he and his father had been in touch more regularly than ever in recent weeks and months – and that they ‘had said all the things that needed to be said’. 

Friends were at pains to point out that the relationship between father and son was also warmer than it had ever been.   

One said: ‘The idea that their relationship was strained, certainly in recent years, couldn’t have been further from the truth. And that’s an important thing to remember in all that is being written.

‘There was genuine love, affection and understanding there. Which is all anyone holds dear at the end.’

There was no immediate personal reaction from the wider Royal Family, such was their grief. But in a previously recorded tribute to his father, Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward told ITV: ‘My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas. To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public.

‘To be able to share that is immensely important.’  

As artillery in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Gibraltar join Royal Navy warships in firing 41 rounds in 41 minutes to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, it also emerged:    

• Prince Philip spent his final days at Windsor, enjoying the fresh air and spring sunshine, before becoming gravely ill on Thursday night. Her Majesty was with him when he died on Friday morning;

• Royals are facing a dilemma over who to invite to the funeral due to Covid rules restricting numbers to 30;

• Prince Harry has spoken to his father the Prince of Wales and cousins Beatrice and Eugenie after Philip’s death and plans return to Britain – but pregnant Meghan Markle is expected to stay in California;

• Philip’s funeral could be Harry’s chance to repair ‘deep damage’ caused by Oprah interview, royal experts say;

• The Duke of Cambridge has withdrawn from this weekend’s Bafta awards ceremony as he mourns his grandfather;

• Stars of football, cricket and rugby wear black armbands and hold two-minute silences in memory of sports mad Duke of Edinburgh;

Prince Charles said in his message: ‘I particularly wanted to say that my father, for I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to The Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth.

‘As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously. He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow.

‘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 and 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. Thank you.’

His words came after a tearful Countess of Wessex today paid tribute to the ‘amazing’ Queen as the monarch began her life without Prince Philip, her ‘strength and stay’ throughout their 73-year marriage and 68-year reign.

Sophie, 56, and her husband Prince Edward, 57, left Windsor Castle with their windows down as they showed their appreciation to mourners who had gathered to lay flowers after Philip’s death yesterday aged 99. 

The scenes have been repeated at other royal residences including Buckingham Palace, where well-wishers – some dabbing their eyes – waited patiently to lay flowers – which were then removed by officials enforcing government directives to stay at home.  

The Wessexes and Prince Andrew have been supporting their mother the Queen, 94, at Windsor today as she grieves for her ‘rock’.

Sky News correspondent Rhiannon Mills spoke to Sophie as she left Windsor, and reported the royal ‘had tears in her eyes’ as she said through her car window ‘the Queen has been amazing’ when asked how Her Majesty was coping.

The bouquets, flowers, cards, Union Flags and balloons left by mourners are being moved away by staff almost as soon as they are left – but royal aides insist they will all be saved and looked at by the Royal Family inside the grounds of Windsor and Buckingham Palace. 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin is in Her Majesty’s private chapel of worship at their Berkshire home before being moved to the nearby Albert Memorial Chapel later today, where he will rest during seven days of national mourning ahead of his hugely scaled-back funeral next Saturday.

The Queen’s youngest child Prince Edward was the first to arrive to support his mother again today, having made the short trip from his Surrey home. 

Prince Andrew, who lives in Windsor Castle’s grounds, was also seen arriving after 10am. Prince Charles stayed with the Queen until late last night.