All about the funeral of Prince Philip and their challenges

The royal family will bid farewell to Prince Philip, husband of Elizabeth II, this Saturday at a private funeral at Windsor Castle

People lay flowers for British Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99, at Windsor Castle, on the outskirts of London, April 9, 2021. -

Keita Ikeda / AP / SIPA

The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday at the age of 99, was involved in the preparation of his own funeral.
His funeral, private and non-national, as he wishes, will take place this Saturday at Windsor Castle.
How will the ceremony take place?
Who will be present?
What are the stakes of this funeral service for the British monarchy?

Great Britain in national mourning.

The royal family will bid farewell to Prince Philip, the husband of Elizabeth II, this Saturday at a private funeral, not a national one, according to the wishes of the deceased, which will be held at Windsor Castle, some forty kilometers away west of London.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday at the age of 99, was involved in the preparations for his funeral which was painstakingly orchestrated by Lord Chamberlain, currently William Peel, the Royal Household's top official.

Where and when will the funeral take place?

The ceremony will take place at St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 3 p.m. local time, or 4 p.m. in France.

The event will be televised.

Where is Prince Philip resting while awaiting the ceremony?

Prince Philip's coffin rests until the funeral in the private chapel of Windsor Castle.

His coffin is draped with his standard.

A wreath of flowers was also placed on the coffin.

What will happen before the ceremony?

At 3:40 p.m., the coffin will be placed at the entrance to the castle by porters from the Queen's Company, members of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

The coffin will be transported in a Land Rover fitted out according to Prince Philip's orders.

At 3.45 p.m., the procession in which Prince Charles and the other members of the British Royal Family will take part on foot will begin.

The queen will go to the chapel separately for the service.

A brass band, led by the Grenadier Guards, will accompany the procession.

The eight-minute procession route will be flanked by representatives of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Horse Artillery of the King's Troop will fire cannon from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle for the duration of the procession, and the bell on the tower at the west end of the castle will ring.

At 3:53 p.m., upon arrival of the coffin, the Rifles Regiment will play the British national anthem.

Members of the Domestic Cavalry will be lined up on the steps, the coffin will be carried to the top of the steps of St. George's Chapel, accompanied by a Royal Navy bagpipe group who will issue a nautical call known as

The Still

The coffin, draped with the standard, surmounted by the naval beret and the sword of the Duke of Edinburgh, will be welcomed by the Dean of Windsor, as well as by the Archbishop of Canterbury, for the office.

What will happen during the ceremony?

Only members of the royal family and the Duke's private secretary will enter the chapel, the rest of the procession made up of soldiers will remain outside.

At 4 p.m., a minute of silence will be observed across Great Britain, in memory of Prince Philip.

The coffin will be placed on a catafalque.

The Duke of Edinburgh's insignia (his medals and decorations awarded by the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, his Marshal's staff, his insignia of Denmark and Greece) will be displayed on cushions at the altar in St George.

Where will Prince Philip be buried?

After the funeral service, the Duke will be buried in the Royal Tomb in Frogmore Gardens adjacent to Windsor Castle.

Queen Victoria, her husband Prince Albert, and Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, are also buried there.

Who will attend the ceremony?

Coronavirus restrictions allow 30 people to attend the funeral.

They must be masked.

The coffin bearers and the clergy do not count among these thirty people.

The exact list of the 30 people who will attend the funeral is not yet known.

Queen Elisabeth, presumably her four children (Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward), and her grandchildren, as well as the Duke's private secretary, Archie Miller Bakewell, will attend.

We already know that English Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend.

Towards a reconciliation with Harry?

Prince Harry will be present, but his pregnant wife Meghan will not make the trip, on medical advice.

Harry has not returned to the UK since leaving for the US.

A month after his devastating interview on American television, many British media are hoping that the funeral will give the royal family the opportunity to put the pieces back together.

Stripped of his military titles, including that of captain general of the Royal Navy, the younger brother of Prince William will have to wear a simple costume, and not the usual military uniform.

A dress that marks the break with his royal duties.

Towards a rehabilitation of Prince Andrew?

The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, is also expected to be in civilian costume.

Fallen out of favor because of his ties to the Epstein affair, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's third child has stepped down from his public engagements.

He hopes the funeral will allow him to resume some of his royal duties in the future.

"He hopes that the public, if he supports his mother in this difficult time, will give him the benefit of the doubt," a source told the British tabloid

Daily Mail.

His brother, Prince Charles, is not, for the moment, in favor of his return to the front of the stage.

What will happen next?

The Union Jacks are currently all at half mast, national mourning will end on the day of the funeral.

The royal family will observe two weeks of mourning.

Members of the royal family will be able to honor their commitments by wearing a black armband.

Major political parties in England, Scotland and Wales have suspended their campaign for next month's election out of respect.

The House of Commons will sit on Monday for MPs to pay homage to the Duke.

How will Elisabeth II overcome her grief?

Elisabeth II, who will turn 95 on April 21, was married for 73 years to Prince Philip.

The loss of the Duke of Edinburgh is "a terrible shock", according to Prince Edward.

"She's deep in thought, that's how I would put it," Prince Andrew told British television.

“She described it as a big void in her life,” he added.

"We, close members of the family, gather around her to make sure we are there to support her," he continued.

After a fortnight's mourning period, Queen Elizabeth II is expected to return to her royal obligations.

"She will return to work very quickly after this brief period of mourning," said Joe Little, editor of Majesty magazine.

"For me, the oath she took on the day of the coronation is something that she will respect at best until her last day", he analyzes.

The Queen will celebrate her platinum jubilee in 2022.

For the past year, the Queen's official calendar has been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, banning a large number of public outings.

"Since she can't go out in public at the moment, it helps her grieve, I would say - she enjoys privacy that she might not otherwise have had," he said. 'expert.

How can the British pay homage to Prince Philip?

Due to the health crisis, the public were asked not to try to attend the funeral.

At the Royal Family website, Britons are urged to donate for charity, instead of laying flowers outside the royal residences.

Brits can also leave a message in an online condolence book.

Despite these recommendations, some have laid flowers and cards in front of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

While the British monarchy is in crisis, this funeral could reconcile the British with the royal family.

People

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