Prince Philip: Duke’s four children to walk alongside coffin at funeral

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.

The guest list for the service includes 30 people, with three German relatives.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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

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.

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

The nine members of the Royal Family will come next, walking on foot in a line behind the hearse. They will be trailed by the duke’s household staff.

The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will not walk alongside each other as they will be separated by their cousin Peter Philips. Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon will also join the family members on foot.

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.

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 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.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Remembered: BBC One, Friday 16 April, 19:00-20:05

The Funeral of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: BBC One, Saturday 17 April, 12:30-16:20 and 20:10-21:10

The funeral will also be broadcast on Saturday 17 April from 14:00-16:10 on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service English, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Ulster.

It will also be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales and BBC local radio with some variation in start times.