Prince Harry to attend Philip’s funeral; ‘no public access’

LONDON — Buckingham Palace announced Saturday that Prince Philip’s funeral will take place at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17 — but in keeping with government lockdown measures, the ceremony will be “much reduced in scale with no public access.”

The palace said the number of mourners will be limited to 30. Both the British government and the royal family asked the public to stay home rather than pay respects in person. There will be no public processions or viewings.

Philip was the longest-serving consort in British history and husband to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years, and the royal family said he expressed his wishes for a low-key affair. He died Friday at age 99, just two months shy of the century mark. There will be eight days of national mourning.

Prince Harry will travel from Southern California to attend the funeral, but his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will not — based on medical advice, a spokeswoman for the couple said. Meghan is pregnant with their second child, due in the summer. She suffered a miscarriage last year, which she wrote about in the New York Times.

The funeral list is so tight that Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would not attend to open a spot for a member of the royal family. Philip and

Elizabeth have four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, plus their spouses.

On Saturday, Prince Charles released a videotaped statement from his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire. He emerged from the home, dressed in a blue suit and black tie, looking downcast and calling Prince Philip, “my dear papa.”

Charles began, speaking without notes: “I particularly want to say … my father, I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to the queen, to my family, and to the country, and also to the whole of the commonwealth. And, as you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously.”

He ended: “Thank you. Thank you.” Then he turned and went back inside his home, as viewers could hear bird calls from the estate gardens.

The funeral will take place within the walls of Windsor Castle. The palace announced: “His Royal Highness’s coffin will be carried in a purpose-built Land Rover — which The Duke was involved in the design of — flanked by military Pall Bearers, in a small Ceremonial Procession from the State Entrance to St. George’s Chapel, for the Funeral Service.”

The eight pallbearers, the dean of Windsor and the archbishop of Canterbury, who will officiate, will not be counted in the limit of 30, the BBC reported.

Around the country on Saturday,

signs of mourning were everywhere: royal staff in black, a 41-round gun salute. The Union Jack was at half-staff, and will remain so until a day after the funeral. Many of these tributes are based on long-standing royal protocol. Others reflect pandemic-related restrictions.

To announce Philip’s death on Friday, a plaque, per royal tradition, was placed in front of Buckingham Palace, reading: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.”

It was, however, removed later in the day, amid fears that it was attracting crowds in violation of limits on public gatherings.