Prince Philip: Duke’s 4 children to walk alongside coffin at funeral

THE Duke of Edinburgh’s four children will walk alongside his coffin at his funeral tomorrow.

Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne, as well as grandsons Princes William and Harry, will walk alongside a modified Land Rover hearse to St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The guest list for the service includes 30 people, with three German relatives.

Those attending will be in morning coats with medals, or day dress, but not wear military uniform.

The congregation will put on masks and socially distance in line with COVID-19 lockdown rules, with the Queen seated alone.

The details of Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral at the chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle at 3pm BST were released by Buckingham Palace.

A Palace spokesman said the plans have been modified to take into account current public health guidelines, but the ceremonial aspects of the day and the service remain in line with the duke’s wishes.

He said the service will be a reflection of Prince Philip’s military affiliations and personal elements of his life.

The other guests include the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, all of the duke’s grandchildren and their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, and Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden; Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne, who was Philip's carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends will also be in attendance.

The 67-year-old countess is the wife of Earl Mountbatten, Norton Knatchbull — the grandson of Prince Philip's beloved uncle the 1st Earl Mountbatten, who was killed by the IRA in 1979.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen faced “some very difficult” decisions in selecting the guests permitted under COVID-19 rules, from plans for a 800-strong congregation, adding she wanted all branches of the duke’s family to be represented.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, died at Windsor Castle on April 9 aged 99.

His body is now resting in the private chapel at Windsor Castle.

On the day of the funeral, the coffin will be moved from the private chapel to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle. It will be placed on the modified Jaguar Land Rover, that the duke himself helped design, to be carried the short distance to St George’s Chapel.