Prince Philip funeral: Guests including the Queen to sit apart and to wear masks throughout Covid-restricted service
ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship has all the details for Saturday's funeral
The Queen, members of the royal family and guests at Prince Philip's funeral will all have to sit apart and wear face masks, as details of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral were announced by Buckingham Palace.
The plans for the Duke's funeral have had to be dramatically scaled back owing to the coronavirus pandemic and only 30 people will be able to attend on Saturday.
Prince Philip's passed away at the age of 99 on Friday, and was the longest-serving consort in British history.
Details of the funeral, which will take place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday, have been released by Buckingham Palace.
Chris Ship on how much should we read in to Harry and William not walking together at the funeral:
It has been confirmed the Queen – like all 30 guests invited to the service – will have to wear a facemask and all guests will sit apart in the chapel, as coronavirus restrictions remain in place.
The monarch will sit by herself in the quire of St George’s Chapel, and will not be able to be comforted by senior royals as she remembers her late husband due to social distancing measures.
A procession will precede the chapel service on Saturday, in which senior royals will walk behind the Duke's coffin as it travels from the state entrance of Windsor Castle to the west steps of St George's Chapel.
The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will not walk shoulder to shoulder during the procession, but will be separated by cousin Peter Phillips. Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer stood between William and Harry as they walked behind their mother, Princess Diana's, coffin in 1997.
When Philip's coffin is taken into St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Prince William will move ahead of his brother as the royal family arrives in pairs.
Other member of the royal family walking behind the Duke's coffin include Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence and the Earl of Snowdon.
There will be a National Minute’s Silence at 3pm before the funeral service begins.
The Queen had to select 30 guests from the original 800-strong congregation, along with the monarch and the Duke's four children and eight grandchildren and their respective spouses, are three of Philip's German relatives.
The timeline for Saturday's funeral procession:
The Duke's ancestors were denied a place at Princess Elizabeth and Philip's wedding because of anti-German feeling after the second world war, but their relatives have been invited to the funeral.
Others on the guest list include the Queen’s first cousins and the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and the Duke of Edinburgh’s carriage-driving companion – and one of his closest confidantes – Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
The Duke has also chosen the music to be sung at his funeral and it will be performed by a reduced choir of four singers - guests will follow Covid rules and not sing.
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Procession
The Duke's coffin will emerge from the state entrance of Windsor Castle on Saturday and will be placed onto a specially modified Land Rover, that Philip helped to design, by a bearer party from the Grenadier Guards.
The vehicle will then begin an eight-minute journey - at walking pace - to the west steps of St George's Chapel.
It will be flanked by pall bearers reflecting the duke’s special relationships with the military – the Royal Marines, Regiments, Corps and Air Stations.
Prince Charles and members of the royal family will take part in the procession on foot, walking behind the coffin, together with staff from Philip’s household.
The procession route will be lined by representatives drawn from the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Air Force.
Guest list
Buckingham Palace said the Queen faced “some very difficult” decisions as she selected the 30 guests permitted under Covid-19 rules.
The monarch's and the Duke's children - Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and their respective spouses - will be in attendance along with the Duke's grandchildren - Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
Also invited are members of the Duke's family - they are Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden; Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
The Queen’s first cousins Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent, who loyally supported the monarch and Philip by carrying out royal duties over the decades, will also form the congregation.
The full guest list can be found here.
Land Rover
Prince Philip helped to design a specially modified Land Rover which will carry his coffin on Saturday in a ceremonial procession.
It has been painted a military green, has an open top rear and even has special “stops” to secure his coffin in place.
The Land Rover hearse was a project of Philip's for 16 years - the polished sturdy, utilitarian vehicle, with its heavy duty wheels and angular structure, stands as a showcase for the duke’s practical nature, and his passion for functional design and engineering.
The Land Rover Defender was first made at Land Rover’s factory in Solihull in 2003 and Philip oversaw the modifications throughout the intervening years.
The vehicle will process slowly through the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of the Duke’s funeral on Saturday at St George’s Chapel.
Insignia
Philip personally chose the insignia that will be on the altar for his funeral, the medals and decorations conferred on him by the UK and Commonwealth countries – together with his Royal Air Force wings and Field Marshal’s baton, will be pre-positioned on nine cushions on the altar in St George’s Chapel.
The duke also included insignia from Denmark and Greece – Order of the Elephant and Order of the Redeemer respectively – in a nod to his birth heritage as a Prince of Greece and Denmark.
Insignia, orders, decorations and medals are a way of a country saying thank you and recognising someone’s achievements.