Prince Philip’s funeral: How Kate Middleton helped reunite Prince Harry and Prince William
Kate Middleton shone as the “family peacemaker” at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, as Prince Charles hopes to take Prince Harry on a touching walk.
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Kate Middleton’s role as the “family peacemaker” was on show at Prince Philip’s funeral, as she used a subtle move to help reunite brothers Prince Harry and Prince William.
After the Duke of Edinburgh was laid to rest, the royals filed out of St George’s Chapel and Kate was seen having a chat with Prince Harry, and not long after, Prince William joined them.
Having ditched the fleet of Rolls-Royces waiting for them outside the chapel, the trio strolled back to Windsor Castle.
But as they walked, the Duchess of Cambridge dropped discreetly behind to chat with the Countess of Wessex and her daughter Lady Louise, leaving the brothers to walk side-by-side.
The funeral marked the fist time the public had seen Prince Harry and Prince William together since their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
It comes as speculation mounts that Prince Harry could extend his stay in the UK, with his father reportedly hoping to take his son on a walk around Windsor to look at tributes for the Duke of Edinburgh.
It was thought the Duke of Sussex could return to the US as soon as tomorrow, but Prince Charles is hopeful he will stay so they can have some bonding time.
“There has been talk that Charles will walk around Windsor with Harry to look at some of the tributes and spend some time together,” a royal source told The Mail on Sunday.
QUEEN SITS ALONE AS WILLIAM, HARRY SHOW SURPRISING UNITY
Prince Philip, the “unwaveringly loyal” rock of the Royal Family, was laid to rest in a sombre, dignified farewell at Windsor Castle last night.
The socially distanced service was all the more intimate, as the Queen, wearing a black face mask, said her last goodbye to her husband of 73 years.
Hundreds gathered in the streets of Windsor outside the castle to pay their respects to Prince Philip, who died aged 99, despite police requests to stay away because of COVID-19 concerns.
The hum of the personally designed Land Rover was all that could be heard during a national minute’s silence before his coffin was taken into St George’s Chapel.
Australia’s Governor-general David Hurley spoke to the Queen before the funeral, offering condolences on behalf of our nation for the loss of the much loved and admired Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen personally chose the flowers in the wreath for her husband’s coffin.
The arrangement included white lilies, small white roses, white freesia, white wax flower, white sweet peas and jasmine.
There were also white lilies and white roses in the flowers placed around St George’s Chapel.
HARRY AND WILLIAM SHOW SOLIDARITY
The Queen was the first to leave St George’s Chapel after the 50-minute funeral, where Prince Harry and Prince William walked shoulder to shoulder together back to Windsor Castle.
After more than a year-long feud, the brothers put on a display of spontaneous solidarity following the moving service for Prince Philip.
The rest of the family walked back up the hill to the State Entrance of the castle.
The sight of the brothers walking together would have given solace to the Queen, after a feud sparked by Megxit.
The dispute was worsened by Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah in March where he claimed his brother was “trapped” in his role.
The headlines of Friday’s papers in the UK were about how the brothers were separated during the official funeral procession.
Their cousin Peter Phillips, 43, walked between them in a diplomatic move by the Queen, who also ordered that no members of the royal family wore military uniform.
That call was made to protect the feelings of Prince Harry, who would have been denied the privilege following Megxit.
He was stripped of his military titles because of his decision to step back from’s royal duties.
Prince Harry, 36, and Prince William, 38, walked behind his casket in the funeral procession.
They had a private meeting before the memorial to set aside their personal differences so they could honour their grandfather without incident.
MEGHAN, HARRY PAY TRIBUTE
Meghan and Prince Harry paid tribute to Prince Philip with a handwritten message left on the wreath.
The couple chose local flowers for their tribute, which was a way of allowing the pregnant Meghan to show her support.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, was watching the service on a life stream in California because she was too pregnant to fly, but the Queen’s choice of jewels could have been a nod to Meghan.
The flowers in the wreath included Acanthus mollis (Bear’s breeches), the national flower of Greece, to represent Philip’s heritage, and Eryngium (sea holly), to represent the Royal Marines.
The wreath also featured campanula flowers for gratitude and everlasting love, rosemary to signify remembrance, lavender for devotion, and roses in honour of June being Philip’s birth month.
HARRY SITS OPPOSITE WILLIAM ALONE
Prince Harry attended the funeral alone, sitting in the church away from his brother Prince William, with all members of the royal family forced to socially distance.
There was no eulogy, in keeping with royal protocol, but poignant prayers offered an insight into the character of Prince Philip, and the mark that he left on his family and the Commonwealth.
Reverend David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, led the service.
“With grateful hearts, we remember the many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us,” Reverend Conner said.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the Nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith.
“Our lives have been enriched through the challenges that he has set us, the encouragement that he has given us, his kindness, humour and humanity.”
Fuss-free Prince Philip was forensic in the details for his funeral, which he had planned for at least five years under the codename Operation Forth Bridge.
The funeral was scaled back from 800 mourners to just 30 to comply with Britain’s coronavirus rules.
The Queen, 94, his children Prince Charles, 72, Princess Anne, 70, Prince Andrew, 61, and Prince Edward, 57, were part of the funeral procession.
Their partners, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, also attended, along with the Queen and Prince Philip’s other grandchildren Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.
Australia was represented by Commodore Guy Holthouse, our most senior defence member in Britain, who was part of a guard of honour outside the chapel.
FUSS-FREE PHILIP
Prince Philip’s military service - he was mentioned in dispatches for his service in the Royal Navy during the Second World War - was neatly stitched into the simple funeral service.
His naval cap and sword, along with a wreath of flowers, were laid on his coffin, which was made of English Oak.
The first hymn, Eternal Father, Strong to Save, is a sailors’ anthem.
The Last Post was played by the Buglers of the Royal Marines - in a personal nod to the unit that he was Captain General of for 64 years.
And those same buglers also sounded Action Stations - a call to arms for those in the navy during war time, which has now become a tradition at military funerals.
The funeral began at 3pm local time in London - 11pm in Australia’s eastern states.
There was a national minute’s silence in Britain at the beginning of the 50-minute service.
Aircraft were grounded at Heathrow Airport - which is just 12km away from Windsor - for six minutes at the time of the silent tribute to ensure there were no interruptions.
The funeral was televised, with British broadcasters clearing their schedules to allow the nation to pay their respects to the duke.
More than 10 million had tuned in - a fitting tribute to Prince Philip, who had suggested that the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 should be televised to open up the Royal Family to the people.
A Buckingham Palace source had insisted during the week that while this was an international event, it was, at its core, a family funeral, with just 30 people present.
The slimmed-down formalities, however, may have appealed to the straight-talking prince, who had an aversion to “fuss”, according to his family.
At the end of the funeral, led by the Dean of Windsor with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the duke has been privately interred in the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel.
When the Queen dies, he will be transferred to lie alongside her in the King George VI memorial chapel, which houses the remains of her father, George VI, her mother, and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
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Originally published as Prince Philip’s funeral: How Kate Middleton helped reunite Prince Harry and Prince William
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