No lying in state at a fitting funeral for a practical man
The Duke of Edinburgh had been quite clear about what he wanted after his death: the absolute minimum of fuss. Here is what that is likely to mean for his funeral.
The Duke of Edinburgh had been quite clear about what he wanted after his death: the absolute minimum of fuss.
What happens in the next few days, therefore, will be strictly in line with Prince Philip’s wishes. And, because of the pandemic, the arrangements for his send-off will be even more low-key than originally planned.
Those plans, drawn up years ago under the code name Operation Forth Bridge, directed that there would be no state funeral or lying in state. “He doesn’t see himself as important enough for that,” an aide once said when asked the duke’s opinions on lying in state.
Full details have yet to be announced but the funeral, which is expected to be held at St George’s Chapel, will take place next Saturday, April 17, behind the walls of Windsor Castle without any crowds present. But the estranged Prince Harry will be there, it was confirmed early Sunday AEST.
The royal family is anxious to keep to COVID-19 regulations, which limit the numbers attending a funeral to 30.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said: “It will be a great shame that he has to have such a quiet send-off. But, in saying that, he didn’t want all the pomp and pageantry anyway so I suppose in a way it would suit his purpose.”
Gun salutes on Saturday in Canberra, Wellington and at locations including across the UK including the Tower of London marked the duke’s death. Batteries fired 41 rounds.
The duke was originally due to have a royal ceremonial funeral, the same level of honour as that given to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales. Unlike their funerals, however, the duke’s would not have been held in Westminster Abbey.
While the revised arrangements were yet to be announced on Saturday, the plan had been to hold the funeral eight days after his death, which already suggested next Saturday.
The decision not to hold a lying in state for the duke is a break with recent tradition, as the honour has been bestowed upon the consorts of the previous three sovereigns.
In 2002 an estimated 200,000 people turned out to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, filing slowly past her coffin which lay in state for more than three days.
Prince Philip was always a practical man and his thinking may have been to limit both the disruption and the costs incurred following his death.
Under the original plans, the royal family and the household would have been able to pay their respects in private while the duke’s coffin – which is currently at Windsor Castle – was at rest in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace ahead of the funeral.
However, the College of Arms said: “His Royal Highness’s body will lie at rest in Windsor Castle ahead of the funeral in St George’s Chapel. This is in line with custom and with His Royal Highness’s wishes.”
The plan for books of condolence to be opened at Buckingham Palace and other royal locations has been cancelled. Instead there will be an online book of condolence via the royal website. The Australian government has one here.
The public are encouraged not to leave flowers but to make charitable donations instead, either to a cause of their own choosing or one of the many organisations supported by the duke.
While relatively modest in scale, at least by royal standards, the arrangements for the duke’s funeral have been meticulously planned to reflect his lifelong association with the armed forces, especially his career with the Royal Navy during and after the Second World War. The service is expected to include the sailors’ hymn, Eternal Father, Strong To Save.
The plans have also, given the great age to which he lived, been years in the making. It is understood that it used to give the duke wry amusement that many of those involved in the planning of his funeral died long before he did.
Many elements of the original plan are likely to be discarded, including for a gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery to take the coffin drawn by a Royal Navy gun crew to Wellington Arch.
The arrangements at the end of the funeral service may well keep to the original plan, in which the coffin would be lowered into the royal vault in St George’s Chapel, where many members of the royal family are buried including George III, George IV and William IV.
The duke’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg – known after her marriage as Princess Andrew of Greece – was the last royal to be buried in the vault, in 1969.
The duke’s coffin will remain there until the death of the Queen, when they will be buried together in the George VI Memorial Chapel.
The chapel, on the north side of the quire of St George’s Chapel, is the last resting place of George VI and Queen Elizabeth – the Queen Mother – and Princess Margaret’s ashes.
The Times
More Coverage
UK’s island deal to avoid ‘missile crisis’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deal to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is necessary to avoid setting off ‘a serious confrontation’ in the Indian Ocean, a Foreign Office minister says.
Gaza plan a red line for Egypt and Jordan. Will it backfire on Trump?
Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw aid unless Egypt and Jordan accept Gazans is unlikely to sway them. They’ll simply look to rich Gulf countries or even China, a key investor, to bail them out.