(CNN) – The funeral of Prince Philip, the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, was an emotional yet silent event that began with a minute of silence this Saturday and was attended by 30 people, including members of the royal family, in the chapel of St. George found in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, died at Windsor Castle on April 9 at the age of 99. He was the oldest consort in the nation, the name used to describe the consort of a reigning monarch, and he was married to the queen for 73 years.
The queen sat alone during the funeral, her head bowed during the gloomy and moderate event, by royal standards. The Duke was deeply involved in planning, selecting the music and ensuring that the ceremony reflected his military preferences and personal interests.
The scarce municipality did not sing to music during the service due to health problems. A four-piece choir more than made up for that, their voices filling the chapel with hymns chosen by the duke, including ‘Melita’ by JB Dykes.
Queen Elizabeth sits alone at Prince Philip’s funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on April 17.
The event was moving as it recalled more widely the lonely devastation of the pandemic, which claimed more than 120,000 lives in the UK and forced countless families to mourn at small funerals.
It also happened in the midst of a family breakdown, the first time that Prince Harry attended a well-known event with his family since the explosive interview with his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey.
Despite speculation about their dynamics, Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William, were seen chatting and walking together after the service.
Those in attendance on Saturday included senior members of the royal family, as well as close relatives and friends of the Duke, including Bernhard, Crown Prince of Baden, Penny Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse.
All members of the congregation covered their faces, as dictated by the current restrictions to contain the coronavirus in England.
But while the ceremony is limited to 30 people inside, according to public health regulations, more than 700 soldiers provided ceremonial support outside in honor of Prince Felipe’s own decorated military career. Members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force were in attendance.
Felipe maintained close ties with the military community throughout his life after completing his naval service in 1953, including the position of Captain General of the Royal Marines.
Before the ceremony, the Duke’s casket, covered with his personal flag, his sword, his navy cap, and a wreath on it, was carried from Windsor Castle to the chapel in a procession led by the Band of the Grenadiers of the Guard.
In accordance with the Duke’s wishes, the box was transported in a modified Land Rover, which he helped design.
The vehicle was followed in a procession on foot by older members of the family. Princes William and Harry were reunited as they walked behind the coffin in the same row with their father, Charles, and other family members, including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince Edward walk together at Prince Philip’s funeral.
The siblings were separated by their first cousin Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, and not shoulder to shoulder.
The family members were not dressed in military uniforms, in a break with tradition, but instead wore morning coats with medals or formal dresses.
The clothing issue came up in recent days after some British media reported that Prince Andrew wanted to wear an admiral’s uniform. Andrés retired in 2019 because of his ties to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Some of the Duke’s closest aides, including his private secretary and personal protection officer, were also in the procession.
The coffin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was carried along the west steps of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The queen came to the chapel separately, attended by a lady-in-waiting. The monarch and the late duke had been in a bubble with some members of their household for the past year, so she was not eligible to join other members of her family.
Meanwhile, the rest of the parish, including Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Beatrice; Princess Eugenie and other family members arrived at the chapel by car.
The Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, was absent after her doctor advised against international travel. She watched the ceremony from her home.
The service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Reverend David Conner and the Archbishop of Canterbury Welby and lasted 50 minutes. Ecclesiasticus 43 and John 11 were among the readings for the ceremony.
The four-piece choir, accompanied by the organ, sang pieces selected by the Duke, including Benjamin Britten’s “Jubilate in C”, a piece he commissioned for the St George’s Chapel Choir.
The choir also sang an adaptation of Psalm 104, which requested the Duke to set William Lovelady to music. The piece was sung at a concert on the occasion of Prince Philip’s 75th birthday.
Subsequently, the duke’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault, where many members of the royal family are buried. The vault, located under the chapel, was built by George III, one of the many kings found in that room.
However, the vault will not be Felipe’s final resting place. When the queen dies, Prince Felipe’s remains are transferred to King George VI’s memorial chapel to stay with her.
At the Duke’s request, the end of the funeral service was marked by the horns of the Royal Marines playing “Action Stations,” a call traditionally made on a warship to signal that all men should go to the posts.
The Archbishop of Canterbury then gave the blessing before concluding the ceremony with the national anthem.
A life of service
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the millions who watched the service on Saturday and tuned in from his Checkers field residence, a Downing Street spokesman confirmed Saturday.
Tributes to Prince Philip came from supporters around the world, many of whom commented on the Duke’s extraordinary life and his service to the Queen.
Born in Greece in 1921 as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, his family was forced into exile when the Greek monarchy was overthrown by a military uprising while he was a baby.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1939, the same year he met Elizabeth and served in World War II. They were married in 1947, and on the Queen’s accession to the throne in 1952, he relinquished his rank of lieutenant commander to support her in her royal duties.
He took an active role in the Royal Family before retiring in 2017.
The royal family mourned for two weeks after his death, and many British broadcasters postponed major shows out of respect.
Speaking of his grandfather after returning to the UK last week, Prince Harry said he was ‘a man of service, honor and great humor … with a very sharp wit’.
Harry’s brother William, Duke of Cambridge, noted that Prince Philip was an “extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation” with an “infectious sense of adventure”.
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Laura Smith-Spark, Angela Dewan, Sarah Dean, Luke McGee and Eoin McSweeney are major contributors.