Funeral plans `quite fitting' for Philip's style

Pandemic rules out grand public event

HALIFAX The options for Canadians planning to pay their respects to Prince Philip during his funeral Saturday will be largely limited to small gatherings in front of TV or computer screens.

Thanks to pandemic protocols, there will be no mass get-togethers — except online. But there is every indication the Duke of Edinburgh would have wanted it that way.

Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, said Philip made it clear he didn't want a grand, state funeral. More importantly, history shows the duke was a forward-thinking man in terms of using technology to bring people together.

“He was the one who brought the monarchy into the modern age by insisting that the Queen's coronation (in June 1953) should be broadcast on television,” Finch said. “In a way, it's quite fitting that his life will be celebrated by again leveraging technology and having a worldwide commemoration in front of computer screens.”

The funeral service will be broadcast live from St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle starting at 10 a.m. ET. Only 30 people have been invited to attend the ceremony, and all will be wearing face masks. Members of the public are being discouraged from gathering outside.

“Our expressions of grief, if they are going to be public, will be via social media,” said Barry MacKenzie, a part-time history instructor at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. “People are finding a way (to honour him) in the same way we have all found a way to do a lot of things differently in the last 13 months.”

Lorie Gonta, who lives in Port McNicoll, Ont., said she planned to watch the service online on her own since her husband didn't share her interest in the Royal Family. An ordained deacon with the Community Catholic Church of Canada, Gonta said she might have a cup of tea while closely observing how the ceremony was handled.

“Having conducted several funerals in the past year, things have definitely changed,” she said.

As for Philip, Gonta said she admired his penchant for making blunt and sometimes off-colour remarks. “He said things like they were,” she said. “He was controversial with what he said, but he said them.”

MacKenzie, who is Atlantic spokesman for the Monarchist League, said Philip will also be remembered for his humility. “He never wanted to dwell on his accomplishments and what his legacy would be,” he said. “I think that having a state funeral with all of the trappings, to him, seemed over the top. He wanted it simpler.”

After the funeral, official commemorations in Canada will begin at 12:30 p.m. in Ottawa, where a ceremony will be held at Christ Church Cathedral. The 40-minute service is closed to the public, but it will be livestreamed and broadcast on television. It will feature music, prayers and a pre-recorded address by the former governor general David Johnston.