Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, died at the age of 99 on April 9 in Windsor Castle. He was the nation’s longest-serving consort — the name used to describe the spouse of a reigning monarch — and had been married to the Queen for 73 years.
Those in attendance included senior members of the royal family as well as relatives and close friends of the duke, among them Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Penny Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse.
All members of the congregation wore a face covering, as dictated by England’s current coronavirus restrictions.
Philip maintained close ties with the military community throughout his life after completing his naval service in 1953, including holding the position of Captain-General of the Royal Marines.
Ahead of the ceremony, the duke’s coffin — draped with his personal flag, his sword, naval cap and a wreath of flowers laid on top — was taken to the chapel from Windsor Castle in a procession led by the Band of the Grenadier Guards.
The vehicle was followed in a procession on foot by senior members of the family. Princes William and Harry were reunited as they walked in the same row behind the coffin with their father, Charles, and other relatives, including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward.
Family members were not dressed in military uniform, in a break with tradition, instead donning morning coats with medals or day dresses.
The brothers were separated by their first cousin Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, and not shoulder to shoulder.
The subject of clothing emerged in recent days after some British media reported Prince Andrew wished to wear an admiral’s uniform. Andrew stepped back from his royal duties in 2019 over his ties to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Some of the duke’s closest aides, including his private secretary and personal protection officer, were also in the procession.
The Queen arrived at the chapel separately, attended by a lady in waiting.
Meanwhile, the rest of the congregation, including Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Beatrice; Princess Eugenie, and other family members arrived at the chapel by car.
Prince Harry’s wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, was not in attendance after her doctor advised against international travel. She will be watching the ceremony from home.
The service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner, and the archbishop of Canterbury Welby and is expected to last for 50 minutes. Among the readings will be Ecclesiasticus 43 and John 11.
A four-person choir accompanied by the organ will sing pieces selected by the duke, including Benjamin Britten’s “Jubilate in C,” a piece he commissioned for the St George’s Chapel Choir. In line with the coronavirus restrictions, the congregation will not sing along with the choir.
The choir will also sing an adaptation of Psalm 104, which the duke requested to be set to music by William Lovelady. The piece was sung at a concert celebrating Prince Philip’s 75th birthday.
The Dean will then give the commendation and the duke’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault, where many members of the royal family have been laid to rest. The vault, set beneath the chapel, was built by George III, who is one of several kings buried within.
The vault will not be Philip’s final resting place. When the Queen dies, he will be transferred to the King George VI memorial chapel to lie next to her.
At the duke’s request, the end of the funeral service will be marked by the Buglers of the Royal Marines sounding “Action Stations,” an announcement that would traditionally be made on a naval warship to signify that all hands should go to battle stations.
The archbishop of Canterbury will then pronounce the Blessing. The ceremony will then conclude with the national anthem.
A life of service
Tributes to Prince Philip have poured in from well-wishers around the world, many of whom have remarked on the duke’s extraordinary life and his service to the Queen.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1939, the same year he first met Elizabeth, and served during World War II. They married in 1947 and, following the Queen’s accession to the throne in 1952, he gave up his rank of lieutenant commander to support her in her royal duties.
He played an active role in the royal family before he retired from public engagements in 2017.
The royal family entered a two-week period of mourning following his death, and many broadcasters in the UK postponed key programs as a mark of respect.
Harry’s brother William, the Duke of Cambridge, said Prince Philip was an “extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation” with an “infectious sense of adventure.”
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Laura Smith-Spark, Angela Dewan, Sarah Dean, Luke McGee and Eoin McSweeney contributed to this report.