The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s 73-year-old husband, was held Saturday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
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The funeral service for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was held Saturday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle west of London. Philip, the Queen’s 73-year-old husband, died earlier this month at the age of 99.
Here are moments from the funeral procession and memorial ceremonies you may have missed:
Philip’s horse-drawn carriage, or ‘trap’, which he designed himself, was part of the funeral procession.
Philip’s love of carriage driving was well known and was even referred to by his grandson, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, in his statement on the death of his grandfather.
His hat, gloves and whip were placed where the driver traditionally sits.
Prior to the ceremony, Philip’s domestic workers joined members of the military to pay tribute to him.
The group appeared to include a variety of different men and women who worked in the Duke’s employ.
Prince Charles, his son, was seen weeping as he walked behind his father’s coffin in the funeral procession to the chapel.
The future king was not the only member of the family who was visibly emotional during the procession and service. Charles’s sister-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex, at one point during the ceremony removed her mask to blow her nose and wipe her eyes.
Philip’s private secretary, Brigadier General Archie Miller Bakewell, worked behind members of the royal family along with other long-serving members of the Duke’s staff.
He first started working for Philip in 2010.
The Windsor Castle flag did not fly at half mast, even though the UK is in a national mourning period.
In a statement on April 9, the College of Arms said that all flags should be flown at half mast until 8 a.m. the day after the funeral, with one exception: “When the Queen is present in a building or its premises… the Royal Standard will be flown at full mast. ”You may recall this particular issue about the Queen in Residence and flags that were not half mast after Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Philip’s active service in the Royal Navy and associations with various branches of the military were prominent features of the funeral.
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Royal Navy representatives; the Royal Marines, of which Philip was Captain General for 64 years; the Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland; and the Royal Air Force lined the way along the procession
The opening hymn of the funeral service, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”, is traditionally associated with the Royal Navy. At the end of the service, Royal Marines buglers played “The Last Post,” a song indicating “that a soldier has gone to his final resting place,” the palace said in a statement.
The bugle players followed that with “Action Stations”, a traditional Royal Navy bugle call. “This is traditionally an announcement that would be made on a naval warship to indicate that all hands should go to combat stations, and this was requested by His Royal Highness,” said the palace.
Philip chose all music for the service.
The first prelude, “Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele” (“Cover yourself, my soul, with joy”) seemed a nod to his German origins. Another song sung, “Jubilate in C,” by Benjamin Britten, was specially commissioned by Philip at St. George’s Chapel. The version of Psalm 104 sung by the small choir was also written by composer William Lovelady at Philip’s request.
The members of the royal family did not sing during the service.
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In a statement, the palace confirmed on Friday that because of COVID-19, there would be no municipal singing at the funeral “in accordance with government guidelines.”
St George, the patron saint of England, has been referred to several times.
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First, the funeral itself was held in St. George’s Chapel. But there was also a reference to England’s patron saint in the service.
Philip was a member of the United Kingdom’s highest knighthood, the Order of the Garter, with the Cross of Saint George on the coat of arms. In the service, the Dean of Windsor, the registry of the order, asked for a blessing from God, “who has given grace to your servant St. George to put aside the fear of men and to be faithful even to death . “
The references to the saint are particularly appropriate, as legend says that he was a Roman soldier, and Philip, a soldier, was born a member of the Greek royal family.
The Duke’s love for the sea and ocean symbolism was a recurring theme in the funeral service.
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“Eternal Father, strong to save”, asks God to “Hear us when we cry to you / For those in danger at sea.”
The first reading, or lesson, from the book of Ecclesiasticus was about belief in God’s power in creating the world, especially the seas: “By the power of his mind [God] tamed the depth and planted it with islands. Those who sail the sea tell tales of the dangers that astonish anyone who hears them; it contains strange and wonderful creatures, all kinds of living things and huge sea monsters. “
Psalm 104 praises God for giving riches “to the sea so great and wide” and describes the ocean as the “garment” of the earth.
And one of the last prayers asked God to “Allow [Philip] the assurance of your old promise that one day you will be with those who go to sea in ships and occupy their affairs in great waters. “
There was no apparent tension between Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his other relatives during the ceremonies.
It has been speculated that there would be a noticeable chill between Harry and the other members of his family, especially after the apparent coolness at the last official Sussexes event. This is the first time Harry has been seen with the royals following his and Meghan Markle’s blockbuster interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they claimed to be a member of the royal family – but later stated it wasn’t the Queen or Philip – which raised questions about what color their son Archie’s skin would be.
But unwritten moments after the funeral ceremony show an easy interaction between him and brother and sister-in-law Prince William and Kate Middleton (aka the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).
Ayanna Miller contributed greatly to the reporting of this piece