Funeral lineup will reveal royal insiders

In the passing of the patriarch of the royal family during a pandemic, we will have a rare glimpse into who populates the inner circle of The Firm. Due to coronavirus regulations, only 30 can attend the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The UK Telegraph has scrutinised Philip’s close acquaintances and family ties to draw up a likely attendance list.

The Queen will be joined by senior family members including the Prince of Wales, who is expected to deliver the eulogy at his father’s funeral, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The Duke’s other three children — the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal— will also attend.

Princess Anne’s husband, ViceAdmiral Sir Timothy Laurence, will be there and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, will be at her husband’s side.

Prince Charles’ sons Prince William, his wife the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry will also attend, the latter making the journey from his home in California. His wife Meghan, we have already learned, is pregnant and has been advised not to make the trip on medical grounds.

The rest of the Duke’s grandchildren, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and her husband Mike, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn — are expected to attend.

Lady Pamela Hicks, the Duke’s first cousin, may also be at the service.

Other members who could receive an invitation include the Queen’s cousins Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent and his wife, the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Margaret’s children the Earl of Snowdon, and Lady Sarah Chatto and the Duke’s private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie’s husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank may also accompany their wives on the day.

Likely to be absent, however, are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s three children.

The Cambridges have been careful to protect Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, from the public gaze, and made clear from the outset that they would shield them from the pressures of royal life while they were young.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has, perhaps unnecessarily, declined to attend. News channels such as the BBC will broadcast the funeral from 2am, Sunday, NZ time.