MY BONNIE PRINCE
The Queen shares photograph from Scottish Highlands as she prepares for today’s funeral
ON the eve of his funeral today, the Queen released a treasured photo of her and Prince Philip at Balmoral.
As the nation falls silent at 3pm, thoughts will turn to the sadness of the monarch, 94.
THE Queen and Prince Philip pose happily in the Scottish sunshine in a touching photo she shared as she prepared to say farewell to her love with “dignity and courage”.
The cheerful image of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh smiling on the breathtaking Coyles of Muick hills on her Balmoral estate was taken by the Countess of Wessex in 2003.
Elizabeth Windsor spent many happy times at the beauty spot with her husband of 73 years, who died aged 99 on April 9, and she named a new corgi puppy Muick last month.
A royal source said: “The cherished photograph is one of the Queen’s favourites and evokes many happy memories at one of their favourite places in the world. She will miss her beloved Philip for ever.”
Prince Philip’s funeral will take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle at 3pm today.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby yesterday appealed to the nation to offer prayers and condolences to Her Majesty. The Archbishop, who will give the blessing, said it would be a “profound” chance for her to say farewell.
He said: “She is the Queen. She will behave with the extraordinary dignity and extraordinary courage that she always does. And at the same time she is saying farewell to someone to whom she was married for 73 years.
“I think that must be a very, very profound thing in anybody’s life and I hope the whole nation, if they believe in that, they pray for her, and if they don’t, they sympathise in their hearts, offer their condolences to her and they hope for her to find strength in what must be an anguished moment.”
The Queen, 94, was yesterday seen for the first time since Philip’s death and was said to be “bearing up well”. She drove a green Jaguar out of Windsor Castle to take her dogs for a walk at 2pm.
Typically, she later returned to duty, taking condolence calls from the Governor General of Australia David Hurley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As final preparations were made last night, details of the Order of Service chosen by the Duke himself were revealed. The procession to the chapel will be led by the band of the Grenadier Guards and his children will walk behind a specially modified green Land Rover hearse he helped to design.
He picked the hymn Eternal Father, Strong To Save, a stirring sailors’ anthem which was sung at the funeral of his uncle Lord Mountbatten.
Philip’s mentor had a huge influence on his life before he was murdered by the IRA in a 1979 bombing.
A bugler from the Royal Marines will sound the call of Action Stations.
The alert is typically announced on warships and is traditionally associated with naval funerals.
Philip served in the Royal Navy during World War II, when he was mentioned in dispatches.
A royal source said: “The personal choice of hymn also shows how important REMEMBERED the Navy was to him. If he hadn’t met the Queen he would have continued as a naval officer and was tipped to rise to the very top. “He sacrificed that for duty – but naval life remained close to his heart as did the lessons his beloved uncle taught him.” Philip’s “unwavering loyalty” to the Queen and his “courage, fortitude and faith” will be hailed in the service. A choir of
four will be in the nave of the chapel and sing pieces of music selected by the Duke himself.
The Kontakion of the Departed, which has its origins in the Orthodox church, will be sung.
The chant has been added to signify Corfu-born Philip’s roots in the church and his Greek origins.
Crowds are being urged to stay away from Windsor and just 30 mourners will attend the service.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will watch on television from his country residence Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, No10 said.
He will observe the national minute’s silence at 3pm to mark the start of the funeral.
Heathrow Airport said no planes will land or take off for six minutes.
Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 17, yesterday spent time looking at hundreds of flowers and wreaths outside St George’s Chapel, including from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Johnson, and the Royal Navy.