Ceremonies held in Sweden, Denmark
LONDON: As military bands played and a procession of royals escorted his coffin to the church, Prince Philip was laid to rest on Saturday.
Ceremonies were earlier held in Sweden and Denmark, while birds from the Royal Pigeon Racing Association were released from the National Memorial Arboretum in central England.
A memorial service was held in the capital of the Falkland Islands on Friday to mark the passing of Prince Philip following his death last week at the age of 99.
Members of the local government, military officials and residents atended the event which took place in Christ Church cathedral in the centre of Port Stanley.
Many present held their own personal memories of the Duke of Edinburgh who visited the British overseas territory in the South Atlantic in 1957 and again in 1991.
Various photographs of the two visits were on display in the church, one showing a smiling Philip alongside locals set beside a single-lit candle.
Islanders in atendance paid testament to his irascible nature, recounting stories of his visit, which included winning a horse race and a fishing trip with residents.
“If Queen Victoria is considered the grandmother of Europe, Prince Philip is the uncle of Europe,” said Vassilis Koutsavlis, president of the Tatoi Royal Estate Friends Association.
It’s in that densely wooded estate at the foot of a mountain north of Athens that Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, lies buried.
The Tatoi estate housed the royal summer residence and the royal cemetery, doted with the tombs of Philip’s relatives: kings and queens of Greece, princes and princesses of Denmark, grand duchesses of Russia and even a distant relative of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Duke of Edinburgh -- described by royals as “the grandfather of the nation” -- died on
April 9, aged 99, just weeks ater being released following a month-long stay in hospital for treatment of a heart condition and an infection.
Britain’s longest-serving royal consort was an almost constant presence at the Queen’s side during her record-breaking reign that began in 1952 as Britain rebuilt from World War II and as its global empire began to unravel.
His death, ater 73 years of marriage, has let a “huge void” in her life, the couple’s second son, Prince Andrew, said last weekend.