Who will be able to attend the funeral?
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 30 people will be allowed to attend Prince Philip’s funeral. It’s certain that the Queen’s four children and their spouses - Prince Charles and Camilla; Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Lawrence; Prince Andrew; and Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex - will be among the 30.
It is known that the Countess of Wessex is close to the Queen. She described the Duke’s passing as “very, very peaceful”. She said: “It was right for him and, you know, it was so gentle. It was like someone took him by the hand, and then he went.”
The monarch and her husband also had eight grandchildren: Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
The funeral is being seen as an opportunity for brothers Princes William and Harry to heal the rift caused by the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan to step away from royal duties and move to California. The division between the brothers was further widened by the explosive interview given by the Sussexes to American broadcaster Oprah Winfrey.
Prince William’s wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, as a future queen, will also be expected to attend.
Meghan Markle will not attend as she is at least six months pregnant and has been advised not to fly.
The grandchildren’s other spouses – Mike Tindall, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi – may attend to support their wives.
However, the Queen might decide to include other relatives or members of the household instead, given the men are not senior royals.
It is also likely the Queen will invite her cousins and their spouses - Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, all of whom have offered loyal support and service over the years. The Queen is close to the children of her late sister Princess Margaret - her nephew the Earl of Snowdon and niece Lady Sarah Chatto.