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Queen, Charles in tears as Prince Philip goes home
Queen Elizabeth 11 and son Prince Charles were in tears yesterday as they bid Prince Philip a final goodbye at Windsor Castle in the county of Berkshire.
The Queen bowed her head in reverence as she accompanied the coffin on its final journey.
She sat alone and wiped her eyes.
Prince Charles fought back tears, walking behind the casket into church.
Mother and son led a one-minute silence for the Duke of Edinburgh as the funeral got underway.
The family was socially distanced in the chapel, sitting in separate rows.
Only 30 close relatives, including Philips’ other children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward- as well as grandchildren Prince William and Prince Harry, attended the service.
The Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “kindness, humour and humanity” during the ceremony.
The congregation wore masks and was socially distanced in line with Covid rules, with the Queen seated alone.
The duke’s children walked behind his coffin in a funeral procession, followed by a national minute’s silence.
More than 730 members of the armed forces took part in the event, but there was a limit of 30 mourners inside St George’s Chapel, under coronavirus rules.
Prince Philip was later interred in the royal vault of St George’s Chapel.
His coffin was carried the short distance to St George’s Chapel on a modified Land Rover, which the duke himself helped to design.
The funeral procession was headed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, the Major General’s party, and military service chiefs.
Princess Anne and Prince Charles made up the front row behind the vehicle, followed by Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.
Prince William and Prince Harry walked either side of their cousin Peter Phillips.
The brothers sat on opposite sides of the aisle but were seen chatting together after they left the service.
Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon also walked behind the coffin, trailed by members of the duke’s household staff.
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The Queen, 94, travelled with a lady-in-waiting in the state Bentley at the end of the procession.
A ceremonial gun fire at nine locations across the UK and in Gibraltar marked the start and end of the national minute’s silence.
No planes landed or took off at Heathrow for six minutes to coincide with the silence and all major sporting events were rescheduled to avoid a clash with the funeral.
The funeral service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with the Archbishop of Canterbury pronouncing the blessing.
The Dean paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “kindness, humour and humanity” and the “many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us”.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith,” he said during his bidding.
The coffin was placed on a catafalque on a marble slab and lowered into the vault by an electric motor.
The vault was created between 1804 and 1810 for George III, who died in 1820 and is one of three kings buried there. The other two are George IV and William IV.
Horns were played as his coffin was lowered.
A blessing was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury before the choir sang the national anthem, “God Save the Queen.”
The members of the royal family looked up as the choir sang while the queen bowed her head.
The 94-year-old monarch was then led out of the church by the archbishop and followed by her family members.
Philip’s coffin had been draped with his personal standard and was driven in a green military Land Rover Defender.
He died on April 9, aged 99 years.
