Prince Philip’s Funeral To Take Place April 17 As Meghan Markle Is Advised By Doctors Not To Travel

By Edna Wande On Apr 10, 2021

Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on April 17, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth the Second’s husband passed away at age 99 on Friday, April 8.

The ceremony at Windsor, west of London, which will be televised but have no public element because of coronavirus restrictions, will be preceded by a national minute’s silence.

As per the palace spokesman, who was quoted by BBC, it will be a “ceremonial royal funeral” and not a state funeral. This “very much reflects the duke’s wishes” said the spokesman.

Also, Philip’s coffin will be transported from the castle to the chapel in a specially modified Land Rover he helped design and followed by Prince Charles and the senior royals on foot, the spokesman said.

The Palace expressed that the funeral will “celebrate and reflect” a life of service. The ceremony will be adapted considering the compulsions thrown up by coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, who stepped away from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family. His wife, Meghan Markle, who is pregnant, has been advised by her doctor not to attend.

It will be an interesting family reunion, given that Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, recently voiced their tensions with the British royal family in a bombshell sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the two-hour special, Harry revealed that his relationships with his father, Prince Charles, 72, and his older brother have ruptured.

Markle described feeling so isolated and miserable inside the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. The Duchess of Sussex also alleged that a member of the royal family had “concerns” about the color of her unborn child’s skin.

The family member was not Queen Elizabeth II or her late husband, Prince Philip, according to Harry, sparking speculation about who it could be.

Palace officials said that the ceremony would be conducted strictly in line with government COVID-19 guidelines, which restrict the number of people attending funerals. They declined to say whether the royal family would be required to wear masks.

On Saturday, gun salutes were fired across the UK and at the sea as a tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Co-ordinated 41-round salutes were fired as a salute to Prince Philip, a former Royal Navy commander. The shots were fired at one round per minute from 12 pm (11 GMT) in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast in addition to the naval bases. The gun salutes were also fired from ships at sea and the British territory Gibraltar.

Onlookers gathered near Towe Bridge in London as Honourable Artillery Company fires shots on the banks of the River Thames.

Additionally, Queen Elizabeth II has approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recommendation of national mourning, which began April 9 and runs until and includes the day of the funeral, the spokesman said.

Only 30 people are expected to attend, including Philip’s children, grandchildren and other close family members, they added.

Also, the proceedings will be televised but held away from public view and with no access for royal fans.

The royal family has appealed to people who wish to pay their respects in person to stay at home instead.

On February 16, Philip was admitted to a London hospital after feeling ill. On March 3, he underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital before being transferred back to King Edward VII hospital on March 5 and ultimately released home on March 16.

He is the longest-serving royal consort in British history. He and the queen have four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.