World
Small funeral of 30 mourners to bid farewell to Prince Phillip
London: Queen Elizabeth II and close members of the royal family will bid a final farewell to Duke of Edinburgh’s Prince Phillip on Saturday at a funeral restricted by Covid-19 rules.
The ceremony, from behind the stately walls of Windsor Castle, west of London, will be viewed by millions on television.
His coffin will be placed on a modified Land Rover that Prince Phillip designed, and carried in a procession the short distance to St George's Chapel.
On April 09, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband and the longest-serving consort of any British monarch, passed at age 99.
The news was announced by Buckingham Palace in a statement on Friday.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement read adding,
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
Prince Phillip was not feeling well for a long time and was admitted to the hospital.
In July 2020, he made his last public appearance when he transferred his ceremonial role as colonel-in-chief of The Rifles to his daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Philip retired from his public role in 2017 and spent 65 years supporting the queen. He was married to the queen for more than 70 years.
The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.
He is survived by four children, Charles, Prince of Wales; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; and Anne, Princess Royal.
The couple had eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921. His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.