The world bids goodbye to Prince Philip today
There will be a minute's silence as The Duke of Edinburgh is laid to rest in Windsor
Last updated 17th Apr 2021
The funeral of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh takes place today in Windsor.
The ceremony will begin at 3pm at St George's Chapel in Windsor alongside a nationwide minute of silence to honour the Duke.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will be a family affair attended by close relatives, with the guest list limited to just 30 because of coronavirus restrictions.
The procession will include Prince Philip's coffin on a Land Rover
The Queen and Philip’s children and grandchildren will gather to pay their respects to Prince Philip, who died on Friday 9th April at the age of 99.
The funeral begins at 3pm, but ceremonial elements will begin an hour earlier, including a procession starting at 2.45pm.
The ceremonial procession will transport the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin to his funeral on a Land Rover he helped to design.
It is a fitting tribute to Prince Philip – the nation’s longest consort – who was known for his practical skills and his enduring interest in design and engineering.
The purpose-built Land Rover was specially modified to carry a coffin – in a project that the duke helped with many years ago.
Leading the procession to the chapel will be the Band of the Grenadier Guards, followed by the Major General commanding the Household Division, service chiefs, the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin on the custom-built Land Rover hearse, members of the royal family on foot, Philip’s household staff, and finally a Bentley carrying the Queen.
The procession will last eight minutes.
Who is attending Prince Philip's funeral?
Just 30 people will attend, instead of 800 as originally planned.
They will include all Philip’s children and grandchildren plus their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, and three of Philip’s German relatives: Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden; Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
Also invited is a close friend of Philip’s, the Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penelope “Penny” Knatchbull, who was previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne, and was the duke’s carriage driving partner.
No members of the royal family will be in military uniform – the men will wear morning coats with their medals while the women will appear in day dresses.
The 30 limit rule does not include clergy and the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor will preside over the service.
A reduced choir of just four singers will sing pieces of music chosen by Philip. Guests will follow Covid rules and not sing.
A minute's silence for The Duke of Edinburgh
There will be a silence to honour Prince Philip at 3pm today (Saturday 17th April) to coincide with the start of the funeral ceremony.
Greatest Hits Radio will be joining in with the silence and will be going silent at 3pm.
Prince Philip's funeral will be televised
The entire funeral will be televised, you can watch it live on most networks including BBC, Sky and ITV.
Prince Philip's final resting place
Following his funeral, the Duke of Edinburgh will be privately interred in the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel – but this will not be his final resting place.
When the Queen dies, Philip will be transferred to the gothic church’s King George VI memorial chapel to lie alongside his devoted wife of 73 years.
The tiny chapel houses the remains of the Queen’s father George VI, her mother the Queen Mother and sister Princess Margaret.
Public asked to stay at home
Thames Valley Police have asked the public not to gather by royal residences, to avoid meeting in large groups, to minimise travel and to make a donation to charity instead of laying floral tributes.
Reiterating the requests made by the Royal Household and the Government, the force also pointed mourners towards an online book of condolence to pay their respects.
The life of Prince Philip
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:
Prince Philip: The world pays tribute
The legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
The UK's longest serving Royal consort