LONDON (AP) – British soldiers, sailors and Air Force personnel were making final preparations on Friday for the funeral of Prince Philip, a martial but personal service that will mark the passage of a royal patriarch who was also one of the minor veterans of World War II.
More than 700 soldiers will attend Saturday’s funeral ceremony at Windsor Castle, including army bands, clarinets from the Royal Marine and a chosen guard of honor from all the armed forces.
But coronavirus restrictions mean that instead of the 800 mourners included in the funeral plans before Philip’s death last week, there will only be 30 inside St. George’s Chapel, including the widowed Queen Elizabeth II and his four children.
Philip, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, was closely involved in planning his funeral, an event that will reflect his Royal Navy service and lifelong military ties, and his love for resistant Land Rover Defender. Philip drove several versions of the four-wheel drive vehicle for decades until he was forced to relinquish his license at age 97 after an accident. His body will be taken to the chapel of a modified Land Rover he designed himself, painted military green and with his back open to carry a coffin.
He and the queen’s children – Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – will walk behind the hearse. So will the grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry, though not side by side. The brothers, whose relationship has been strained amid Harry’s decision to leave the royal functions and move to California, will flank his cousin Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne.
The moment is likely to stir up memories of the image of William and Harry at 15 and 12, walking behind the coffin of their mother Princess Diana in 1997, accompanied by their grandfather Philip.
Armed forces bands will play anthems and classical music before the funeral service. Inside the chapel, the Royal Marine’s clarinets will sound “action stations”, an alarm that warns sailors to prepare for battle. Philip spent nearly 14 years in the Royal Navy and served in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Pacific during World War II.
General Nick Carter, head of the British Armed Forces, said the ceremony “would reflect military accuracy and, above all, I think it will be the celebration of a well-lived life”.
“It will also show, I think, how much the armed forces loved and respected him,” Carter told the BBC. “The military always has a great deal of respect for people who have their values and their rules and who, in fact, have shown great courage, and I think that when we look back at their war history, that sense of courage and what he did is something we all have a great admiration for. ”
Along with Philip’s children and grandchildren, the 30 funeral guests include other members of the royal family and several German relatives. Philip was born prince of Greece and Denmark and, like the queen, is related to a shrub of European royal families.
The villains have been instructed to wear masks and observe social distancing inside the chapel and not to join when a choir of four people sings hymns. The queen, who has spent much of the last year isolating herself with her husband at Windsor Castle, will sit alone.
In a break with custom, members of the royal family who have served in the armed forces or who have ceremonial military appointments will wear civilian clothes to the funeral.
The decision, signed by the queen, means that Harry will not risk being the only member of the royal family who does not have a uniform. Harry lost his honorary military titles after resigning from front-line royal duties last year. As a result, the protocol suggested that Harry, an army veteran who did two service tours in Afghanistan, would only wear a dress with medals to the royal functions.
The decision also ignores another potential controversy after it was reported that Prince Andrew, the queen’s second eldest son, considered wearing an admiral’s uniform at his father’s funeral. Andrew retains his military titles even though he has been removed from royal duties due to the scandal over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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For full AP coverage of Prince Philip’s death, go to https://apnews.com/hub/prince-philip