BROTHERS APART
...as funeral plan pointedly separates princes
WILLIAM and Harry will not walk shoulder to shoulder behind their grandfather’s coffin when he is laid to rest tomorrow.
The estranged brothers are both in the small party of close family members who will follow the Duke of Edinburgh’s body.
But they will be separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips. And when the coffin is carried into St George’s Chapel in Windsor, William will move ahead of his younger brother as they take their seats separately.
The extraordinary turn of events will be seen by some as a missed opportunity to show family unity in the wake of Prince Philip’s death. Others questioned whether the princes were being
kept apart deliberately at their own request. But a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘This is a funeral [and] we will not be drawn into those perceptions of drama. The arrangements have been agreed and reflect Her Majesty’s wishes.’
It came as details of Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral, which will take place at 3pm, were publicly released. These included:
■ The Queen will wear a mask, sit socially distanced from her family and follow the coffin of her husband of 73 years in the state Bentley;
■ The 30-strong congregation comprises of all of Philip’s children and grandchildren, their spouses and close relatives including Princess Margaret’s son the Earl of Snowdon;
■ The only non-family member of the group is his close friend and carriage driving companion Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penny Knatchbull;
■ Other royals including the Duchess of Kent have not been invited after Covid rules meant a 1,000-name list had to be whittled down;
■ The Land Rover hearse specially designed by the duke to carry his coffin was unveiled.
William, 38, and Harry, 36, are unlikely to even see each other until the morning of the funeral. They were last seen in public together at a Commonwealth Day service in March last year where they could barely look each other in the eye following Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the Royal Family.
Relations were further soured by the couple’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, in which they attacked senior royals while Philip, who died last Friday at 99, lay in hospital.
It had been quietly hoped that the loss of their beloved grandfather, whom both men loved deeply, might start the process of rapprochement.
Tomorrow is likely to be particularly difficult for the brothers as it will evoke memories of having to walk behind their mother’s coffin when they were just 15 and 13.
They will be among nine family members who will walk behind Philip’s coffin, leaving the Sovereign’s Entrance at Windsor Castle at 2.45pm.
William and Harry will walk in the third row of mourners, with their cousin Mr Phillips in between them, behind the Queen’s four children.
The procession will be led by the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne, followed by Prince Edward and Prince Andrew. Behind William and Harry will be Princess Anne’s husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, and the Earl of Snowdon, with staff bringing up the rear.
A palace spokesman said the Queen had been forced to make ‘difficult’ decisions about who to include among the guests as a result of Covid restrictions.
But she did her best to honour her late husband’s wishes and include representatives of all sides of the family – and from every generation, apart from his great-grandchildren who are considered too young to attend. ‘ The family have had to implement his wishes in the best way they can,’ the spokesman said.
He stressed that the decision for the two princes to move apart from Mr Phillips and go into the chapel separately was a ‘practical’ one, as they could not have walked three abreast through the door while social distancing.
Before the funeral procession sets off, the Queen will have a moment of quiet reflection when her car draws up behind the coffin at the State Entrance to the castle and pauses for a moment.
The procession will then depart, following the Land Rover as it is driven to the west steps of St George’s Chapel. But the Queen will not be required to follow it all the way down. Instead her car will stop at the Galilee Porch at the chapel, where she will be greeted by the Dean of Windsor before taking her seat inside.
On the altar will be displayed some of the duke’s regalia personally chosen by Philip himself, which will include nods to his Danish and Greek heritage.
Buckingham Palace has refused to say what the Royal Family will do after the service. In normal circumstances there would be a wake, but coronavirus rules allow only outdoor gatherings of up to six people. The televised ceremonial aspects of the funeral will start at 2pm.
A Palace spokesman stressed the funeral will be a ‘family event’ and said the Royal Family was ‘grateful’ and ‘touched’ for all the messages of condolence from around the world.
‘Perceptions of drama’