Table of Contents
Funeral of Prince Philip: date, place, present and absent and where to see him on TV
The Queen Elizabeth sets the rules for her husband Philip’s funeral ceremony and separates William and Harry during the service. While the Palace has defined the list of 30 people that will be admitted. Sarah Ferguson and Meghan Markle, the great absent.
According to the orders of Her Majesty, William and Harry they will not walk side by side behind their grandfather’s coffin, but they will be separated from cousin Peter Phillips. And when the coffin is brought to St Day’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, William will proceed in front of his younger brother and they will sit separately.
To establish the provisions of the funeral procession, which will take place on Saturday 17 April starting at 14.40 (English time), was Elizabeth, as we read in a note from Buckingham Palace: “The provisions have been agreed and reflect the wishes of Her Majesty “. Therefore, it was not a request from William and Harry to be separated during the funeral of grandfather Philip, but a precise choice by the Queen to avoid any form of spectacle that could give rise to gossip about the Royal Family, distracting attention from ‘ last farewell to the Duke of Edinburgh.
In this sense, Elisabetta also banned the use of military uniforms to avoid embarrassing Harry and Andrea who are forbidden to wear the uniform.
The last time William and Harry attended a public event together was in March 2020, during the ceremony in Westminster for Commonwealth Day. The relationship between the two brothers seemed to have cracked forever after the Sussex interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 during which they accused the Royal Family of racism, just in the days when Prince Philip was hospitalized in precarious conditions.
Meanwhile Buckingham Palace has made it known the final list of 30 participants at the funeral. Among the more unusual names stands that of Penelope ‘Penny’ Knatchbull, formerly known as Lady Romsey and then Lady Brabourne, the 67-year-old Countess of Mountbatten, confidant of the Duke of Edinburgh. He will therefore attend the funeral together with the Prince’s 4 children, his 8 grandchildren. The spouses of the members of the Royal Family also take part in the ceremony, except Meghan Markle who, pregnant, remained in California, and Sarah Ferguson who is formally divorced from Andrea, although they have returned to live together for some time.
Included in the list are the Queen’s first cousin, Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent, but not their respective wives, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence. The children of the Queen’s late sister Princess Margaret, the Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband David Chatto were also invited.
Contrary to what was expected in recent days, Philip’s personal secretary, Archie Miller-Bakewell, will not be present.
Read also
