The British Royal Family will say goodbye to Prince Philip, husband of Elizabeth II, this Saturday at a private funeral at Windsor Castle, in the presence of Prince Harry but without his wife, Meghan, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.
The funerals will take place at 3pm (2pm GMT) at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, about 25 miles west of London, where the Duke of Edinburgh, a staunch supporter of the Sovereign for seven decades, died “peacefully” Friday morning, at the age of 99.
Only thirty people, including their four children (Carlos, Ana, Andrés and Eduardo), their grandchildren and other family members, can attend the funeral due to the rules imposed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Prince Henry, who lives in California after leaving the monarchy last year, will attend the ceremony. However, his wife, Meghan, who is pregnant, will not and, according to a palace spokesman, will remain in the United States, on the advice of her doctor.
To “allow as many family members as possible to attend funerals,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be in attendance, his office said.
A minute of silence will be observed across the country at the start of the ceremony.
The funeral takes place four days before the Queen’s birthday, which turns 95 on April 21.
His eldest son, Prince Charles, declared on Saturday that both he and the royal family “greatly” miss Prince Philip, whom he called “a very special person.”
Carlos praised his “excellent service to the Queen, my family and the country” and said his father “would have been amazed at the response and the moving things that have been said about him”.
national mourning
In the country, which began a national mourning that will last until the day after the funeral, tributes have already begun.
From the Tower of London, on the banks of the Thames, the castles of Edinburgh, Belfast, Gibraltar or the ships of the Royal Navy, where it served during the Second World War, the rumble of the guns echoed from noon (1100 GMT ).
This salvo, the first in a run of 41 (one per minute), was a tribute to the patriarch of the British royal family, born in Corfu as prince of Greece and Denmark and who roamed Europe as a childhood.
Princes Andrew and Edward visited their mother Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Saturday. “The Queen has been wonderful,” the Countess of Wessex, Sofia, Prince Edward’s wife, told reporters as they left the castle.
Prince Charles had visited her on Friday.
Known for his opinion, Prince Philip drew attention for his provocative comments, sometimes tinged with racism or sexism.
But the British also remember his tireless dedication to the monarchy, which he helped modernize and humanize, and his presence in the background, but infallible, next to the sovereign.
“It represented stability, but also fun, a sense of humor that we seem to have lost at times,” Heather Bridge, 65, near the Tower of London, told AFP.
Allegations from Enrique and Meghan
Prince Philip has participated in more than 22,000 official public engagements since his wife took the throne in 1952.
Now the monarch will only have to face the crisis that is shaking up the British royal family, as a result of her grandson Enrique and his wife Meghan’s recent criticism of ‘The Firm’, the monarchy’s nickname, accused of racism and lack of support. .
The latter stated in an interview with the American presenter Oprah Winfrey at the beginning of March that she had even had suicidal thoughts.
The couple cited the racist behavior of a member of the royal family who allegedly wondered what the skin color of the child they were expecting would be, specifying – off camera – that it was neither the queen nor her husband.
Enrique, 36, also stated that he was “really disappointed” by the lack of support from his father, Prince Charles, who stopped answering the phone for a while and revealed that he had become estranged from his brother, Guillermo. For his part, he assured that the royal family is not “racist” at all.
On Saturday, the Royal Family’s Twitter account shared several photos of the Queen with her husband at key moments in their lives.
As in 1997, on the occasion of his 50th wedding anniversary, when the one he nicknamed “Lilibeth” confided to him, “He’s just been my strength and my support all these years.”