WHO’LL BE IN CHURCH FOR PHILIP FAREWELL?
Grandson set to jet in for send-off
ONLY 30 mourners will be allowed to attend Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.
The nation will fall silent as it bids farewell to the Duke of Edinburgh after his death aged 99.
There will be a minute’s silence before the service begins at 3pm in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Philip’s coffin, draped with his personal standard and decorated with a wreath of flowers and his Naval cap and sword, will be carried in a specially modified Land Rover which the Duke helped to design. Buckingham Palace has said Prince Charles will lead the procession.
Only members of the Royal Family, plus the Duke’s private secretary, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dean of Windsor and pallbearers will be permitted to enter the chapel along with the coffin.
The Queen and Philip’s four children, along with their spouses, are likely to be present.
Their eight grandchildren including
PRINCE Philip’s publicity-shy grandson is set to be one of the 30 people present at his funeral.
But his pregnant former actress wife is not expected to attend. She will stay in the US after being advised by medics not to travel.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also not be attending the service at Windsor Castle. Instead, he will give up his seat to allow another family member to be there.
Prince William, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn are expected to attend too.
William’s Kate will invited.
There will be no public procession and the service will take place in the grounds of wife also be
the castle. Philip’s body is currently resting in Windsor’s private chapel.
All of those attending the funeral, apart from the Queen, will take part in the private procession.
The coffin will be moved to the state entrance of the castle next Saturday by a bearer party drawn from the Grenadier Guards, the elite Queen’s Company regiment at Windsor of which Philip was Colonel for 42 years.
The Queen has already approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recommendation of a period of national mourning.
It began on Friday, when Philip died, and will continue until April 17.
Meanwhile, the BBC had so many complaints after it tore up its planned schedules to cover the Duke’s death that it has set up a streamlined system for people to record any criticisms.
Viewers were quick to react, with some saying they found the coverage too much to handle.
One man wrote on Twitter: “If we had extended news and special programmes I might have watched them.
“But wall-to-wall coverage for a non-developing story is ridiculous.”