Preparations are underway at Windsor Castle for the funeral of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away at the age of 99. The funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon, and while it will be a smaller affair due to COVID-19 restrictions, it will undoubtedly be a momentous occasion filled with both sorrow and celebration of an extraordinary life.
Prince Harry will be attending the funeral, marking his first visit back to the UK in over a year and the first time he will see his family since the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. This reunion comes at a time of deep grief for the family, and many will recall the poignant image of a young Prince Harry walking behind his mother, Princess Diana’s, casket alongside Prince Philip 25 years ago.
While Prince Harry will be in attendance, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will remain in California. Currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, she has been advised by her doctors not to travel.
The funeral itself will be a more intimate affair than originally planned, a reflection of both the current pandemic and the Duke’s personal preferences. There will be no military parades or public processions. Instead, the entire service will be held within the walls of Windsor Castle, a location deeply intertwined with royal history and the setting for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s own wedding in 2018.
Prince Charles and other members of the royal family will follow Prince Philip’s casket to St. George’s Chapel for the service. Attendance will be capped at 30 mourners due to COVID-19 restrictions, a stark contrast to the grand funerals of the past. To allow for wider participation, the funeral will be televised, allowing people across the globe to pay their respects from their homes.
This scaled-back approach aligns with Prince Philip’s known aversion to fuss and grand gestures, suggesting that the Duke himself would have approved of the intimate nature of the farewell. The smaller guest list also underscores the challenging decisions forced upon the Royal Family by the ongoing pandemic. Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declined his invitation to attend, making space for more family members to be present.
Despite its smaller scale, the funeral will be a somber and significant event, honoring a man who dedicated decades of his life to public service and stood as a pillar of strength for the Royal Family. As the world watches, the Royal Family will bid farewell to a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a figure who left an undeniable mark on history.
