The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, would take place next week, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday, announcing a stripped-back ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions, and a return for Prince Harry, but not his wife, Meghan Markle.
The announcement came as the couple’s eldest son, heir to the throne Prince Charles, 72, paid a heartfelt tribute to his “dear Papa,” and said he and the royal family missed him “enormously.”
“My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him, and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that,” he added. “It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.”
Photo: AFP
The Duke of Edinburgh — the 94-year-old queen’s husband of 73 years — died peacefully on Friday just two months short of his 100th birthday, triggering eight days of national mourning.
Royal officials said his funeral, which is to be televised, would take place at 2pm on Saturday in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, west of London.
It is to be preceded by a national minute’s silence.
Government guidelines restrict mourners to just 30 people and close attention has been paid to the pared-down guest list for the funeral, particularly whether the duke’s grandson Harry would attend.
Palace officials confirmed he would, but his American wife, Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, had been advised against traveling from the US on medical grounds.
The couple, who quit frontline royal duties last year, have launched a series of broadsides against the royals, including accusing them of racism and of failing to treat Meghan’s mental health.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would also not be attending the funeral because of COVID-19 restrictions, Downing Street said.
“The prime minister has throughout wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral on Saturday,” a spokesperson said.
Gun salutes earlier on Saturday echoed across the UK as the armed forces paid solemn tribute to the duke.
The coordinated 41-round volleys to the former Royal Navy commander were fired at a rate of one per minute from noon in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as at naval bases, from warships at sea and in the British territory of Gibraltar.
Similar salutes — the most according to military protocol — were also held in Canberra and Wellington, as the queen is head of state in Australia and New Zealand.
Sporting events, including Premier League soccer matches, English county championship cricket and the Grand National horse race, held silences as part of worldwide tributes.
The death of the duke, the longest-serving royal consort in British history, is a profound loss for the queen, who once described him as her “strength and stay” throughout her long reign.
Flags were flying at half-mast on government buildings and would do so until the morning after his funeral.
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