The Scotsman

Farewell Philip

- By LAURA ELSTON newsdeskts@scotsman.com

The Duke of Edinburgh's "unwavering loyalty" to the Queen and "courage, fortitude and faith" will be hailed at his funeral.

No sermon will be delivered during the ceremonial royal service, in keeping with Philip's wishes.

His love of the sea and long associatio­n with the Royal Navy permeates the Order of Service, which has been released by Buckingham Palace ahead of Saturday's proceeding­s.

Music chosen by the duke includes the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" - traditiona­lly associated with seafarers and the maritime armed services.

Written in 1860 by William Whiting, it was was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psalm 107.

Itwasalsos­ungatthefu­neral of Philip's beloved uncle, Earl Mountbatte­n of Burma, who was murdered by the IRA in 1979.

The Dean of Windsor, in the Bidding, will also pay tribute to Philip's "kindness, humour and humanity."

"With grateful hearts, we remember the many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us," he will say of Philip, who died aged 99 last week .

"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.

"Ourlivesha­vebeenenri­ched through the challenges that he has set us, the encouragem­ent that he has given us, his kindness, humour and humanity."

Other elements of the deeply religious service include:

- A psalm which Philip requested should be set to music and which was first sung in honour of his 75th Birthday.

- A lesson by the Dean of Windsor, which tells of "those who sail the sea tell stories of its dangers, which astonish all who hear them; in it are strange and wonderful creatures, all kinds of living things and huge sea monsters".

- A Jubilate which was written for St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, at Philip's request.

It was also reported that the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will not walk side by side in the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral procession.

William and Harry, whose troubled relationsh­ip has been well documented, will be separated by their cousin Peter Phillips when the trio walk in a line behind their grandfathe­r's coffin at Windsor Castle today.

The future king will also be one step ahead of his brother when the coffin is taken into St George's Chapel, moving ahead of Harry as the royal family, including the Prince of Wales, go forward in pairs.

Harry has spoken in the past about how he and William are on "different paths" and have good and bad days in their relationsh­ip.

Their brotherly bond was put under further strain after the Sussexes' interview with Oprah Winfrey where they accused a royal family member of racism, something William strongly denied.

Asked whether arrangemen­ts for the procession reflected the royal siblings' relationsh­ip, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "This is a funeral, we're not going to be drawn into those perception­s of drama, or anything like that.

"The arrangemen­ts have been agreed, and they represent Her Majesty's wishes, so we're not going to say anything more on that."

The palace has confirmed the Queen, like all the 30 guests invited to the service, will wear a face mask during the funeral which will last 50 minutes.

A palace spokesman said the monarch had to make "difficult decisions about who would be there" due to Covid restrictio­ns limiting mourners.

The Queen will be sitting by herself in the Quire of St George's Chapel, with all mourners following Covid guidelines and remaining socially distanced, but for the short car journey to the place of worship from the Castle she will be joined by a lady-in-waiting.

Philip was the guiding force behind his funeral arrangemen­ts and reflecting his lifelong associatio­n with the Royal Navy, Buglers of the Royal Marines will sound Action Stations during the service at the duke's request.

It is played on a warship to signal all hands should go to battle stations and is sometimes featured at funerals of naval men.

A reduced choir of just four singers will feature during the service and the guests will follow Covid rules and not sing.

Among the guests are all of the duke's children and grandchild­ren and their spouses, the children of the Queen's sister Princess Margaret and three of Philip's German relatives, the Hereditary Prince of Baden, Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-langenburg.

Also invited is a close friend of the duke, Countess Mountbatte­n of Burma - Penelope "Penny" Knatchbull, previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne - who was Philip's carriage driving partner.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that royal men will wear morning coats with their medals while the women will wear day dresses.the spokesman stressed the duke's funeral will "at its heart" be a "family event".

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 ??  ?? Final preparatio­ns continued yesterday for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh today as it emerged The Queen will be sitting by herself in the Quire of St George's Chapel, with all mourners following Covid guidelines and remaining socially distanced
Final preparatio­ns continued yesterday for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh today as it emerged The Queen will be sitting by herself in the Quire of St George's Chapel, with all mourners following Covid guidelines and remaining socially distanced
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