Prince Philip news – live: Funeral guests unveiled with William and Harry to walk apart and Queen to sit alone
Follow for the latest developments
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
The guest list for Prince Philip’s funeral has been unveiled, with only close relatives to attend the royal ceremonial service in Windsor on Saturday.
It comprises his and the Queen’s four children, as well as some but not all of their many grandchildren. Other members of the royal family, such as the Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, will also be in attendance. It was revealed last week that the service would not be a state affair due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Another revelation made earlier is that Prince William and Harry, the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex respectively, will not walk shoulder to shoulder in their grandfather’s funeral procession, following speculation they could do so.
The brothers, who have been reunited in person for the first time following the explosive Oprah interview last month, will walk separately, either side of their cousin Peter Phillips - Princess Anne’s son - as they trail their grandfather’s coffin at St George’s chapel in Windsor.
It was also confirmed on Thursday that the Queen will be forced to sit alone during the service to avoid coming into contact with anyone she does not live with. It is so the monarch can adhere to social distancing guidelines as much as possible during the day.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles earlier made his first public appearance with Camilla since the death of his father to view flowers and tributes left in his memory. The pair are believed to have looked visibly upset by the messages left for the late duke.
Read more:
Buckingham Palace: ‘Queen faced difficult decisions over funeral guest list’
The Queen faced “some very difficult” decisions as she selected the limited number of guests allowed to attend her late husband’s funeral, Buckingham Palace has said.
A congregation of 30 people will attend the funeral, the maximum number of guests allowed under the government’s Covid-19 regulations. Guests include the couple’s children and some, but not all, of their many grandchildren. They will be seated in the quire at the chapel and will wear face masks, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday.
Rules stipulate that a face covering is required by law when attending indoor places of worship, crematoriums and burial ground chapels.
The funeral was originally planned long ago for 800 guests but had to take into account the strict limit on numbers during the pandemic.
A small choir of four people will sing music chosen by Philip, and will be located in the nave away from the seated guests who will not join in with the singing.
“At its heart it is still a family event. We are following the Covid guidelines. There was a limit on who could be invited as a guest and Her Majesty wanted to ensure that all branches of the duke’s family were there, and had to make some very difficult decisions about who would be there,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
“For those that unfortunately can’t be there, I’m sure they will be making their own private arrangements about how they commemorate the duke, and indeed celebrate the duke.”
Queen to be accompanied by lady-in-waiting at procession
While it was confirmed on Thursday that the Queen will have to sit alone during her late husband’s funeral, the monarch will be accompanied to the service in the state Bentley by a lady-in-waiting.
The vehicle will form part of the procession making its way to St George’s Chapel on Saturday afternoon.
While the Queen will be joined by her trusted companion on her way to the service, she will sit by herself in the quire of the chapel, with all mourners following Covid-19 guidelines and remaining socially distanced. The lady-in-waiting will not sit in the quire and is not counted among the guest list of 30.
Leading the procession to the chapel will be the Band of the Grenadier Guards, followed by the Major General commanding the Household Division, service chiefs, the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin borne on a custom-built Land Rover hearse, members of the royal family on foot, Philip’s household staff, and finally the Bentley carrying the Queen.
It is not yet known which lady-in-waiting will accompany the Queen in the vehicle.
The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, personally chosen by the monarch, have a variety of duties including attending to private and personal matters for the Queen and handling her correspondence.
They have been part of HMS Bubble - the name given to the reduced selection of around 20 staff attending to the Queen at Windsor during lockdown.
Some of the ladies-in-waiting have been with the Queen for more than 50 years and act as both friends and loyal assistants, and their discretion and support will be invaluable.
Prince William and Harry to walk apart in funeral procession
Prince William and his brother Prince Harry will not walk shoulder to shoulder in their grandfather’s funeral procession on Saturday, following speculation they could do so.
Instead the brothers will walk separately, either side of their cousin Peter Phillips - Princess Anne’s son - as they trail their grandfather’s coffin at St George’s chapel in Windsor.
Our deputy lifestyle editorSophie Gallagher reports:
William and Harry to walk apart at Philip’s funeral
The funeral will have 30 guests and will take place on Saturday 17 April
Who will attend Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday?
The guest list for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral has been unveiled.
While the funeral of such a high-profile figure would usually be expected to be attended by hundreds of guests with crowds of the public gathering nearby in support and to watch the procession, just 30 people will be permitted to attend Saturday’s service due to government guidelines.
Likewise, the public has been urged to “stay away” and leave messages of condolence online instead, writes Olivia Petter.
Who is going to Prince Philip’s funeral?
A maximum of 30 royal family members will attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in line with coronavirus restrictions
Mark Steel: ‘How I think we should honour Prince Philip’
Columnist and comedian Mark Steel explains how he believes we should honour the late Duke of Edinburgh.
“The point made regularly on every channel was that he ‘modernised the royal family’. Part of his official title was ‘Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle’, so he probably needed to do a bit more work on the modernising. I expect he wanted to change it to ‘MC Big EK the Notorious A-N-C-I-E-N-T Noble Thistlez!’
Hopefully we’ll be told of other ways he modernised the monarchy, such as writing a grime version of the national anthem, or organising raves in the grounds of Sandringham.
The Queen often commented that she could never get him off TikTok, and he’d sit up all night playing Call of Duty online with the King of Swaziland. Maybe he was working on modernising his comments to Aborigines, so instead of asking if they still chuck spears at each other, he would say, ‘A man still get shank wid spear and s***, is it?’”
Read his thinking in full here:
How I think we should honour Prince Philip | Mark Steel
We must remember, though, that he ‘didn’t want any fuss’
How are Prince Philip and the Queen related?
As the nation prepares for Prince Philip’s funeral, following his death at 99, people are reflecting on the longevity and strength of the marriage that he and Queen Elizabeth II shared for more than 70 years.
The couple married in 1947, however, they had known each other for much longer, having first met at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark and the Duke of Kent in 1934 when the Queen was just seven years old and Philip was 12.
The pair also happened to share a distant relative, as both are descendants of Queen Victoria.
So how are the royals related, aside from being man and wife? Chelsea Ritschel takes a closer look.
Royal family tree: How Prince Philip and the Queen are related
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were both descendants of Queen Victoria
VIDEO: Military rehearses duke’s funeral in Windsor before Saturday
Will Prince Philip have a state funeral?
The Duke of Edinburgh is to be honoured with a ceremonial royal funeral, as the Queen Mother was in 2002, instead of a state funeral.
State funerals are usually reserved for the sovereign - but what are they and who else has had one?
Olivia Petter explains:
Will Prince Philip have a state funeral?
Sir Winston Churchill and the Duke of Wellington are among those to have had state funerals
Full list of special Prince Philip programmes on BBC
The BBC will mark the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral with a series of special programmes.
Huw Edwards will lead nearly six hours of coverage broadcast from Windsor across three programmes on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday on BBC One, Mr Edwards will present ‘HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Remembered’ live from Windsor Castle at 7pm.
He will interview people who will play key roles in the funeral service and ceremonial procession the next day.
On Saturday, Mr Edwards will present live coverage of the funeral from 12.30pm, and will be joined by Sophie Raworth and former Royal Marine JJ Chalmers.
In the evening, from 8.10pm, Mr Edwards will reflect on the day’s events at Windsor Castle.
There will also be coverage of the funeral on Saturday from 2pm to 4.10pm on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live.
Record 110,000 complaints over BBC coverage of Prince Philip’s death, official figures show
The BBC received a record 110,000 complaints over its coverage of Prince Philip’s death, according to the broadcaster’s official figures.
Get the breaking news:
Record 110,000 complaints over BBC coverage of Prince Phillip’s death, official figures show
The BBC received a record 110,000 complaints over its coverage of Prince Philip’s death, according to the broadcaster’s official figures.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies