Princes to unite in funeral procession
will I’m sure Charles to see be very happy his son. It’s been more than a year Prince Harry Royal source on funeral returning for the
PRINCE Harry will walk behind his grandfather’s coffin with Prince William as he makes a desperate dash from California to beat coronavirus quarantine rules.
He has confirmed he will attend his grandfather’s funeral while Meghan will avoid an awkward reunion because she is too pregnant to fly.
The Duchess of Sussex has been told by doctors to avoid flying because she is heavily pregnant with the couple’s second child.
The advice avoids potentially uncomfortable moments for the Duchess, who claimed the royal family was racist in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.
“The Duke of Sussex is planning to travel (to the UK), the Duchess of Sussex has been told not to travel by her physician,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. “The Duke will be attending.”
Seats at the funeral have been limited to 30 mourners, with even British Prime Minister Boris Johnson passing up a place at St George’s Chapel to allow more of the Duke of Edinburgh’s family to attend.
The Queen will not be able to be hugged by her family under current coronavirus rules in the UK, which also require mourners to wear a face mask.
Prince Philip’s fuss-free funeral has been scheduled for 3pm on April 17 (midnight AET time) inside the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip’s coffin will be taken in a specially modified Land Rover from the state entrance of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel for the service.
Representatives from Prince Philip’s military relationships will form a guard of honour in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle.
Commodore Guy Holthouse, head of Australian Defence
staff in London, will attend on behalf of Australia.
Military staffers from Canada, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago have also been invited.
Members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, 72, will follow the coffin.
Buckingham Palace would not reveal which other members of the royal family would join the procession, but The Sun reported Prince Harry would be part of it.
Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William, 38, and Prince Harry, 36, walked behind Princess Diana’s coffin in 1997.
That photograph has become one of the most poignant images of that tragic day,
however Prince Harry later said that he regretted being asked to take part.
Prince Harry’s decision to join the procession for Philip’s funeral was seen as a smoothing of the tense relationship between the brothers.
“I’m sure Charles will be very happy to see his son. It’s been more than a year. The Prince is very much looking forward to seeing him,” a royal source told The Sun.
There will be a national minute’s silence in Britain at the start of the funeral.
The 30 guests allowed at funerals in the UK under current coronavirus restrictions will not include military staff and religious ministers.
Full details of who will attend, including whether Prince Philip’s eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren would be included, were expected to be revealed this week.
Prince Harry will have to travel to Britain within the next 48 hours to fall within COVID-19 travel rules.
He would be allowed out of quarantine after five days instead of 10 with an additional negative test.
That means he would have to arrive in Britain no later than Monday, unless he was given dispensation to attend on compassionate grounds.
The Queen has had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine and attended a ceremony
without a mask last month.
And while Prince Philip, who died 62 days short of his 100th birthday, shunned a state funeral because he did not want pomp and ceremony for his farewell, it will be televised globally.
The Duke of Edinburgh chose a Land Rover to take him to his final resting place, with a second Land Rover also in the procession.
His naval hat and sword, as well as a floral wreath, will be placed on top of his personal standard on his coffin.
All the funeral plans had been signed off by the Duke several years ago, however they have been modified because of the coronavirus restrictions.