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Prince Philip
IMAGE COPYRIGHT GETTY IMAGES

The Duke of Edinburgh’s four children will walk alongside his coffin at his funeral on Saturday.

Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne, as well as grandsons Princes William and Harry, will follow a Land Rover hearse in a procession to St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Those attending will wear morning coats with medals, or day dress, but not military uniform.

The congregation will put on masks and socially distance in line with Covid lockdown rules, with the Queen seated alone.

The details of Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral at the chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle at 15:00 BST were released by Buckingham Palace.

A Palace spokesman said the plans have been modified to take into account current public health guidelines, but the ceremonial aspects of the day and the service remain in line with the duke’s wishes.

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He said the service will be a reflection of Prince Philip’s military affiliations and personal elements of his life.

The Duke of Edinburgh in May 2009 with the now the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who is one of the 30 guests
image caption The Countess Mountbatten of Burma – seen here with Prince Philip in 2009 – will be among the 30 guests at the service
Princess Eugenie (left) and Princess Beatrice in 2016
image caption All of the duke’s grandchildren – including Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice – will attend the funeral

The other guests include the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, all of the duke’s grandchildren and their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, and Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden; Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

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The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne, who was Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends will also be in attendance.

The 67-year-old countess is the wife of Earl Mountbatten, Norton Knatchbull – the grandson of Prince Philip’s uncle the 1st Earl Mountbatten, who was killed by the IRA in 1979.

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Buckingham Palace said the Queen faced “some very difficult” decisions in selecting the guests permitted under Covid rules, from original plans for a 800-strong congregation, adding she wanted all branches of her husband’s family to be represented.

Analysis

By Daniela Relph, royal correspondent

This is the funeral the Duke of Edinburgh wanted for himself.

The guests, the music, the military representation are exactly what the duke requested for his own farewell. The one element he perhaps didn’t account for was the family tension.

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The Queen has decided that there will be no military uniforms worn by members of the Royal Family on Saturday.

This neatly avoids the Prince Harry and Prince Andrew problem. Both have stepped back from their military patronages and the issue of them wearing uniform was a dilemma that has now gone away.

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The order of the funeral procession has revealed that the duke’s grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will not walk alongside one another. Instead, their cousin Peter Philips will walk between them.

Buckingham Palace won’t comment on this decision. Responding to questions from reporters, a spokesman said they would not be drawn into discussing “perceptions of drama”.

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Of the tributes paid to Prince Philip over recent days, Buckingham Palace said the Queen and the family had been touched at the testimony around “the remarkable life and lasting endeavours of the Duke of Edinburgh”.

Prince Philip

Prince Philip died at Windsor Castle on Friday 9 April aged 99. His body is now resting in the private chapel at the castle.

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On the day of the funeral, the coffin will be moved to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle. It will be placed on the modified Jaguar Land Rover, that the duke himself helped design, to be carried the short distance to St George’s Chapel.

Modified Jaguar Land Rover which will carry Prince Philip's coffin
image caption Prince Philip’s coffin will be carried on a modified Land Rover

The procession to the chapel will be headed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, followed by the Household Division and military service chiefs.

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Members of the Royal Family will walk behind the coffin. Princess Anne and Prince Charles will walk in the front row, followed by Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.

In the third row, the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will be either side of their cousin Peter Philips.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon will be in the next row, trailed by members of the duke’s household staff.

The Queen will travel with a lady-in-waiting in the state Bentley at the end of the procession, and enter the chapel by a side door.

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Aerial view of Windsor Castle

The duke’s association with the Royal Navy will be reflected at the service, with buglers of the Royal Marines sounding Action Stations – a signal that all hands should be ready for battle – during the service.

A reduced choir of four singers will feature but the congregation will follow Covid rules and not sing.

The full order of service, which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor, will be released on Friday evening.

The 30 people attending the funeral

Who will attend Prince Philip's funeral?
  • The Queen
  • The Prince of Wales
  • The Duchess of Cornwall
  • The Duke of Cambridge
  • The Duchess of Cambridge
  • The Duke of Sussex
  • The Duke of York
  • Princess Beatrice
  • Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
  • Princess Eugenie
  • Jack Brooksbank
  • The Earl of Wessex
  • The Countess of Wessex
  • Lady Louise Windsor
  • Viscount Severn
  • The Princess Royal
  • Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
  • Peter Phillips
  • Zara Tindall
  • Mike Tindall
  • Earl of Snowdon
  • Lady Sarah Chatto
  • Daniel Chatto
  • Duke of Gloucester
  • Duke of Kent
  • Princess Alexandra
  • Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
  • Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse
  • Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • The Countess Mountbatten of Burma

The Duke of Edinburgh personally selected the regalia that will be on the altar for his funeral.

It is made up of the medals and decorations conferred on him by UK and Commonwealth countries – together with his Royal Air Force wings and Field Marshal’s baton, and insignia from Denmark and Greece, highlighting his birth heritage as a prince of Greece and Denmark

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