ONE FINAL SMILE FOR HIS QUEEN
She’ll pause at Land Rover hearse Duke asked for as joke in 80s
AS the Queen pauses briefly tomorrow, next to the hearse carrying her beloved Philip, it will be a moment to reflect on their enduring love – and his wicked sense of humour.
The Duke of Edinburgh first asked for his coffin to be carried on a Land Rover as a joke in the 80s – before secretly commissioning it and helping to design it over the past 18 years.
But then, once inside the chapel at Windsor, Her Majesty must sit away from her family during the 50-minute service to comply with Covid restrictions.
As the world watches, her state Bentley will halt briefly so she can gaze at Prince Philip’s coffin on the hearse, which was revealed for the first time yesterday.
When first asked about plans for his funeral 40 years ago, he told his wife: “Just chuck me in the back of a Land Rover and be done with it.” Now, just like thousands of others, the Queen has had to have a pareddown funeral service for Philip owing to the pandemic.
She will be accompanied only by a lady-in-waiting for the drive of a few hundred yards from Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.
Couples such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be permitted to sit together.
Details yesterday emerged of the swiftly altered plans for Philip’s funeral to comply with coronavirus restrictions.
Only 30 mourners will attend, knocked down from an original guest list of more than 800.
The Queen will wear a facemask as she did at a service for the unknown soldier at Westminster Abbey last November.
As tributes flooded in for the Duke from across the world, the Queen said she had been “touched” by the outpouring of emotion.
Buckingham Palace said: “Her
Majesty and the Royal Family are grateful for all the messages of condolence from around the world and have been touched to see and hear so many people sharing fond memories of the Duke in celebration of his life.
“The tributes received from young and old are truly a testament to the remarkable life and lasting endeavours of His Royal Highness.”
Boris Johnson also paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “amazingly distinguished” Royal Navy career,
as he visited the Devon college where the Duke and the Queen first met.
Prince Charles appeared close to tears yesterday as he made an emotional visit to Marlborough House in Central London with wife Camilla, to see the floral tributes to his father.
The couple spent time looking at the cards and flowers, with notes including one that read: “HRH A True Gentleman.
“Thank you for your devoted service to our country. We shall miss you.”
In the hours after Philip’s death a week ago today at the age of 99, Charles paid tribute to his ”dear Papa”, saying the family would “miss him enormously”. He described him as a “much loved and appreciated figure”.
The Duke’s hearse was built using a Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle. Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Executive Thierry Bollore said: “The Duke was a tremendous champion for design, engineering and technology. A truly remarkable man and will be greatly missed.”
The vehicle was made at Land Rover’s factory in Solihull in 2003 and subsequently modified. ●The BBC’s coverage of the Duke’s death received 110,000 complaints – the highest number ever published in the UK about TV programming.
It cleared all its scheduled shows across both BBC1 and BBC2 last Friday.