A fond farewell
▶ The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral at Windsor Castle reflected a long life of military and public service
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her family paid their last respects to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at a funeral yesterday that celebrated his naval past, his international heritage and seven decades of service in which he helped guide the queen through repeated crises.
Dressed in black and wearing a white-trimmed black mask, the Queen stood alone as the body of her husband of 73 years was lowered into the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The service was attended by senior royals including Prince Charles and his sons, Princes William and Harry.
Owing to social distancing rules, the Queen sat alone during the ceremony in the chapel.
“We remember before Thee this day Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, rendering thanks unto Thee – for his resolute faith and loyalty, for his high sense of duty and integrity,” Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said in a prayer.
The archbishop praised Prince Philip’s “life of service to the nation and Commonwealth, and for the courage and inspiration of his leadership”.
Prince Philip died at Windsor Castle aged 99 after a month of hospital treatment for a heart condition and an infection.
The Queen led the royal procession for his funeral at the castle, near London, followed by their children and grandchildren.
Music from military bands signalled the start of the proceedings, which were watched by millions.
Military officers lowered their heads in the grounds of the castle as Jerusalem was played.
The coffin was placed on a green Land Rover designed by Prince Philip, which was followed by the queen.
The funeral service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner. He paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “kindness, humour and humanity”.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith,” the Dean of Windsor said.
More than 730 members of Britain’s armed forces took part in the event. They included army bands, Royal Marine buglers and an honour guard drawn from across the armed forces.
Coronavirus restrictions meant that instead of the 800 mourners included in the long-standing plans for the funeral, there were only 30 people inside the castle’s St George’s Chapel, including the Queen, her four children and her eight grandchildren. The service began after a national minute’s silence was held at 3pm.
“The Royal Family just kept to the rules and that means they’ve gone through what millions of others have gone through which is not really being able to say goodbye in the way they’d hoped or planned,” Mr Welby, told The Telegraph newspaper.
Prince Philip’s body had been resting in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.
Yesterday, his coffin, covered with a wreath, his sword, naval cap and his personal standard, was moved by a bearer party from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards to the royal residence’s inner hall and later placed on the Land Rover as God Save the Queen was played.
Roses and lilies, which had been chosen by the queen, were placed on top of it.
Prince Philip spent almost 14 years in Britain’s Royal Navy and saw action in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific during the Second World War.
Several elements of his funeral had a maritime theme, including the hymn Eternal Father, Strong to Save, which is associated with seafarers.
The procession and funeral took place out of public view within the grounds of the castle, a 950-year-old residence 30 kilometres west of London, but was shown live on television.
Despite the public being asked not to attend, mourners gathered at the barriers erected along the sweeping Long Walk to the castle gates as armed police patrolled the area.
“There are hundreds of us today,” one mourner said. “People are not supposed to come. But this is a once-in-a-generation event. He was really something.”
The Queen led the mourners as they paid their respects to the man she once called her “strength and stay”, and whose death closes a remarkable chapter for Britain’s most famous family.
The last major royal funeral, that of the Queen’s mother in 2002, cost more than £5.4 million ($7.4 million).
Yesterday’s ceremony was a more modest affair.
Prince Philip was interred in the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel. When the queen dies, he will be transferred to lie alongside her in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where her father, George VI, her mother, and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, are interred.
Dressed in black and wearing a mask, the Queen stood alone as the body of her husband of 73 years was laid to rest