Queen Elizabeth and Britain bid farewell to Prince Philip
WINDSOR, England (Reuters) – Queen Elizabeth bid a final farewell to Prince Philip, her husband of more than seven decades, at a ceremonial funeral on Saturday, with the nation falling silent to mark the passing of a pivotal figure in the British monarchy.
While the ceremony included some of the traditional grandeur of a significant royal event, there were just 30 mourners inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the funeral service because of COVID-19 restrictions.
There was no public procession, all the congregation wore masks, and the queen, who said the death had left a “huge void,” sat alone.
Prince Harry, who flew from the US to attend the funeral, walked and talked with his brother William and wife Kate at the end of the service – the first time they have spoken in public since Harry and his wife Meghan gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey last month.
Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, said the funeral resonated with the millions of people around the world who have lost loved ones during the pandemic.
He called on the British public to pray for the monarch.
“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,” Dean of Windsor David Conner said.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who had been by his wife’s side throughout her record-breaking 69-year reign, died peacefully at the age of 99 last week at the castle where the royal couple had been staying during a recent lockdown.
A decorated Royal Navy veteran of World War II, his funeral – much of which was planned in meticulous detail by the prince himself – had a strong military feel, with personnel from across the armed forces playing prominent roles.
Army bands, Navy pipers and Royal Marine buglers took part, while his coffin was conveyed from its resting place inside the castle to the chapel on the back of a specially-converted Land Rover that he helped design himself.
Philip’s children and grandchildren followed behind on foot, evoking memories of the 1997 funeral of Diana when William and Harry – then just 15 and 12 – walked behind their mother’s coffin.
Before the procession, military bands spaced out across the quadrangle of Windsor Castle in brilliant sunshine to play the prince’s chosen music, including “I Vow To Thee My Country,” “Jerusalem” and “Nimrod.”
The congregation was limited to members of the royal family and Philip’s family, with no place for political figures such as Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who watched the event on television where it was broadcast live.
The entire event was held within the walls of Windsor Castle, while the public was asked not to congregate outside or at any other royal residences to show their respects.
There were no eulogies, just brief words of praise for the prince from the dean of Windsor and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in their prayers.
With a reputation for a tough, no-nonsense attitude and a propensity for occasional gaffes, Philip was credited with helping his wife, whom he married in 1947, modernize the monarchy in the changing post-war period, and to deal with the many crises that befell the institution.
Last month, the royals faced their greatest such tumult in decades when Prince Harry, grandson of Elizabeth and Philip, gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey with his wife, Meghan, who did not attend the funeral as she is heavily pregnant and was advised not to travel.
The couple, who moved to Los Angeles and quit royal duties last year, accused one unnamed royal of making a racist comment, and said Meghan’s pleas for help when she felt suicidal were ignored.
Much media attention focused on the royals’ behavior toward Harry, as it was his first public appearance with his family since that interview.
He walked apart from his brother Prince William in the procession behind Philip’s coffin, separated by their cousin Peter Phillips.
Mourners eschewed the tradition of wearing military uniforms, with newspapers saying that was to prevent embarrassment to Harry.
Despite serving two tours in Afghanistan during his army career, he is not entitled to wear a uniform having been stripped of his honorary military titles.
The couple’s second son, Prince Andrew, said his mother was being stoical in the face of a loss that she had described as “having left a huge void in her life.”
“It’s a great loss,” he said. “I think the way I would put it is, we’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation.”