How Prince Philip’s Funeral Will Go And Events That Will Take Place

Following his transition to the great beyond on Friday 9th April, funeral preparations are under way for Queen Elizabeth II’s husband and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who breathed his last at the age of 99.
Born in Greece, Prince Philip got educated in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as his family was exiled from his birth country when he was eighteen months old. He had joined the Royal Navy in 1939 at 18 and from July same year, he began corresponding with the thirteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whom he had first met in 1934. He was eventually granted permission by George VI to marry Elizabeth after the Second World War where he served distinctively.He got married to Elizabeth on the 20th of November 1947, 5 years before she became Queen, and just before the wedding, he was granted the style His Royal Highness and created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich by his father-in-law, the King. He was further made a British Prince in 1957, 5 years after his wife ascended the throne and 10 years into their marriage. As the Queen’s husband of more than 70 years, Prince Philip was the longest-serving British consort, or companion to the sovereign.
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As the world joins the royal family to mourn the demise of and tribute the Queen’s husband, members of the public have been asked to pay their tributes online via a digital condolences book opened on the royal website. They were also asked to consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes in memory of the duke, however, people have left flowers, cards and tributes outside the palace and at Windsor Castle.
According to BBC, the ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 15:00 BST on Saturday, 17 April and the event will be televised. Here are some events that will take place.
1. Prince Philip was said to have requested a funeral of minimal fuss and will not lie in state – where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin. Hence, his body will lie at rest in the private chapel at Windsor Castle until the day of the funeral.
2. The Duke’s coffin is draped in his personal flag – his standard. A wreath of flowers has also been placed on the coffin. His flag bears elements from his Greek and Danish heritage, a representation of the Mountbatten family (his maternal grandparents’ surname which he took when he became a naturalised British citizen) as well as the castle from the arms of the City of Edinburgh. His naval cap and sword will be laid in the coffin with him.

3. The Duke will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral (State funerals are usually reserved for monarchs, although some others are given). Although Coronavirus restrictions means the Duke’s ceremonial funeral will be much lower key, the Palace says this very much reflects the Duke’s wishes.
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4. On the day of the funeral, Prince Philip’s coffin will be moved from the private chapel to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle and will be placed on a modified Land Rover that the Duke himself had helped design by 2:40 pm. It will then carried the short distance to St George’s Chapel.5. By 2:45 pm, the procession begins, led by the band of the Grenadier Guards, and moves to Chapel Hill and down to Horseshoe Cloister. The band is followed by the Major General’s Party and military chiefs of staff. The Land Rover follows, flanked by pallbearers from the Royal Marines and other regiments and corps associated with the Duke. Members of the Royal Family, including the Prince of Wales, will walk behind the coffin while the Queen will travel separately to the chapel for the service.
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The route will be lined by personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Air Force. Guns will be fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn throughout, as a bell tolls in the Curfew Tower, at the west end of the castle.
6. At 2:53pm, the Land Rover will arrive at West Steps of St George’s Chapel, and met by a guard of honour and band from the Rifles Regiment, who will play the national anthem.Members of the Household Cavalry will line the West Steps and a Royal Navy “piping party” will pipe a nautical call known as “the Still” as the coffin is carried up the steps to the chapel. The coffin, draped with the duke’s standard, with a wreath and the duke’s naval cap and sword on top, will be met by the dean of Windsor, together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, for the service. Only the members of the Royal Family and Prince Philip’s private secretary will enter the chapel – the rest of the procession will remain outside.
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7. At 3:00 pm, a minute silence will be held nationwide, in memory of the duke. The funeral service then begins inside the chapel as the coffin is carried to the Quire and placed on a platform called a catafalque. Prince Philip’s insignia – medals and decorations awarded to him by the UK and Commonwealth countries – his field marshal’s baton, Royal Air Force wings and insignia from Denmark and Greece will be displayed on cushions on the altar in St George’s Chapel. After the service, the Duke will be interred in the royal vault.
8. After the interment, the country then is in a period of national mourning which will end on the day of the funeral. Union jacks and national flags will fly at half-mast on all government buildings. Union jacks on royal buildings, where the Queen is not in residence, will also fly at half-mast. The Royal Standard, which represents the sovereign and continuation of the monarchy, never flies at half-mast and will be flown at full-mast where the Queen is present. The Royal Family will observe two weeks of mourning – but members will continue to attend engagements and wear black mourning bands where appropriate.
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Gun salutes took place across the UK and in Gibraltar at midday on Saturday. Military guns fired 41 rounds at one round every minute for 40 minutes in Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland and at Devonport and Portsmouth naval bases. Royal Navy ships at sea, including HMS Diamond and HMS Montrose, also fired the salute, a tribute to the duke, who served as a naval officer during World War Two and held, among other titles, the office of lord high admiral. Out of respect, the main political parties in England, Scotland and Wales have suspended campaigning for next month’s elections. The House of Commons will sit on Monday for MPs to pay their tributes to the duke.TRENDING VIDEO OF THE DAY: Things To Know About Prince Philip As He Dies At Age 99 Photos Credit: Getty/BBC