Details of Prince Philip's funeral announced including full guest list
Only 30 guests are permitted under Covid-19 rules
Last updated 24th May 2022
The guest list for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, which will take place on Saturday, has been released, revealing the 30 attendees, in line with Covid-19 restrictions.
Prince Philip, who was married to the Queen for over 70-years, died peacefully at home in Windsor Castle at the age of 99.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen faced “some very difficult” decisions as she selected the 30 guests permitted under Covid-19 rules, from the original 800-strong congregation, and had tried to ensure all branches of the duke’s family were there.
Details of the duke’s funeral were released by Buckingham Palace including pictures of the Land Rover Prince Philip designed for carrying his coffin.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed the Queen, like all the 30 guests invited to the service, will wear a face mask during the funeral.
The Queen will be sitting by herself in the quire of St George’s Chapel, with all mourners following Covid guidelines and remaining socially distanced, but for the short car journey to the place of worship from the Castle she will be joined by a lady-in-waiting.
Who is attending Prince Philip's funeral?
Included on the list attending Prince Philip's funeral are the most senior members of the Royal Family including the Duchess of Cornwall, all of the duke’s grandchildren and their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, and three of Philip’s German relatives – Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden; Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
Also invited is a close friend of the duke, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, who was Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends.
Boris Johnson will not go to the funeral to allow as many members of the Royal Family to attend as possible within the 30-guest limit. Instead, the Prime Minister will watch the funeral on TV, Downing Street has confirmed.
Full list of guest for the funeral:
- The Queen
- The Prince of Wales
- The Duchess of Cornwall
- The Duke of Cambridge
- The Duchess of Cambridge
- The Duke of Sussex
- The Duke of York
- Princess Beatrice
- Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess Eugenie
- Jack Brooksbank
- The Earl of Wessex
- The Countess of Wessex
- Lady Louise Windsor
- Viscount Severn
- The Princess Royal
- Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
- Peter Phillips
- Zara Phillips
- Mike Tindall
- Earl of Snowdon
- Lady Sarah Chatto
- Daniel Chatto
- Duke of Gloucester
- Duke of Kent
- Princess Alexandra
- Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
- Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse
- Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
- The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “At its heart it is still a family event.
“We are following the Covid guidelines. There was a limit on who could be invited as a guest and Her Majesty wanted to ensure that all branches of the duke’s family were there, and had to make some very difficult decisions about who would be there.
“For those that unfortunately can’t be there, I’m sure they will be making their own private arrangements about how they commemorate the duke, and indeed celebrate the duke. ”
Meghan cannot attend the funeral
Prince Harry, the Duke's grandson, flew back from America for the service and has been quarantining since his arrival. His wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has not joined him on doctor's orders due to being heavily pregnant.
Despite not completing the 10-days of quarantine, the Duke of Sussex will still be able to legally attend the funeral, with Government guidance stating that individuals can leave quarantine on compassionate grounds which include "attending a funeral of a household member, a close family member or a friend".
Where and when will Prince Philip's funeral take place?
Set to take place on Saturday 17th April at St George's Chapel in Windsor, the ceremony will begin at 3pm with a nationwide minute of silence to honour the Duke.
All Government buildings will participate in the minute of silence, while local authorities and members of the public may also choose to take part.
The ceremony comes after a short procession which will begin at 2.40pm when the Duke's coffin emerges from the State Entrance of Windsor Castle in a Land Rover hearse specially designed by the Duke himself over 16-years.
Prince Philip's coffin will be transported by a special Land Rover
Philip’s modified Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle has been unveiled for the first time, two days before his final farewell in St George’s Chapel.
The duke, who died aged 99 on Friday, made the final adjustments in 2019, the year he turned 98.
The Queen will be accompanied to her husband’s funeral in the state Bentley by a lady-in-waiting, but will sit alone in St George’s Chapel.
The vehicle will form part of the procession making its way to the chapel on Saturday afternoon.
While the Queen will be joined by her trusted companion on her way to the service, she will sit by herself in the quire of the chapel, with all mourners following Covid-19 guidelines and remaining socially distanced.
Can I go to watch the procession?
No, due to Covid restrictions the public cannot visit the grounds of St George's Chapel.
The Mayor of Windsor, John Storey, urged people not to gather in Windsor and instead advised that "you pay your respects from the safety of your own home and avoid making non-essential journeys to Windsor."
The Royal family have also asked that rather than leaving floral tributes at Royal residences, people who want to pay their respects to Prince Philip instead donate to charity.
Prince Philip, a life in pictures
Prince Philip was born in 1921
Prince Philip of Greece was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Prince Philip attended school in Scotland
The Prince was one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun boarding school in Moray, Scotland, attending from 1933-1939. He was the first of three generations of royals to attend the school, with Prince Charles boarding in the 1960s, and Princess Anne's children enrolling in the 1990s.
The engagement of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth
Prince Philip's engagement to Princess Elizabeth was announced on 9 July 1946, after he asked permission from her father, King George VI. In order to marry into the British Royal family, Prince Philip became a British citizen, and renounced his Greek title in favour of Mountbatten, the anglicised version of his mother's name. He also agreed not to invite his sisters to the wedding, as they were all married to Germans and tensions were still high following the war.
The Royal Wedding
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. He received new titles, including the Duke of Edinburgh, for which he is best known, and his Royal Highness. It is estimated around 200 million people tuned into the BBC radio broadcast of the wedding.
First time father
In 1948, Prince Philip became a father for the first time when Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles. Princess Anne was born two years later.
Consort to the monarch
King George VI died 6 February 1952, making his oldest daughter Princess Elizabeth, Queen. This made the Duke of Edinburgh consort to Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation took place on 2 June 1953 and was an important feature in making television a mainstream medium, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch.
The Duke of Edinburgh award
In 1956, Prince Philip launched the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, which aims to prepare young people for adult life by developing essential skills, confidence and resilience. Today, hundreds of thousands of young people complete the award every year across 144 nations.
Meeting JFK
In 1961, a banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in honour of American President John F Kennedy. This was the President's last visit to Buckingham Palace before he was assassinated two years later. Prince Philip attended his funeral.
A family of six
In 1960 Prince Andrew was born, followed by Prince Edward in 1964. This completed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's immediate family.
Royal Family documentary
In 1969, a television documentary entitled 'Royal Family' aired to an audience of over 30 million in the UK, before being sold worldwide, achieving over 350 million views. However, the Queen had the documentary banned and it has not been shown on TV in the UK since 1977. The documentary offered insight into the lives of the Queen and her family in an attempt to revive public interest in the Royals.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Philip's oldest son, Prince Charles, married 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. Almost 1 billion viewers tuned in across 74 countries to watch the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was considered hugely important because whoever Prince Charles married would one day become Queen.
Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral
The world was shook when Diana, Princess of Wales died suddenly in a car accident in August 1997. Hundreds of thousands of well wishers lined the streets on the day of her funeral, which saw Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Diana's brother accompany Princes William and Harry in walking behind the funeral car.
Diamond wedding anniversary
In 2007, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary- 60 years of marriage! They have since made it to their platinum anniversary, celebrating in 2017.
A family man
Prince Philip has eight grandchildren, including heir to the throne Prince William. He also has nine great-grandchildren and counting, with two more on the way in 2021.
Tipping his hat to a lifetime of service
At the age of 96, Prince Philip carried out his final solo public engagement in August 2017, before tipping his hat in acknowledgement of a lifetime of service.
Prince Philip dies aged 99
Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 on the 9th April 2021. The Duke's funeral took place on 17 April 2021 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Read more:
All the tributes from the Royal Family to Prince Philip so far
Looking back at Prince Philip's incredible charity work
The legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.