How Prince Philip's Service Will Be Different From Other Royal Funerals
One of Prince Philip's last wishes was that no "fuss" was made when it came to his funeral service. And because of that, the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, who died April 9, 2021, will not have a state funeral (via Daily Mail). Traditionally, when a member of the royal family dies, part of the ceremonial service is to have the monarch lie in state. According to the BBC, that means that the coffin would have been available for members of the public to see. Even Princess Diana was allowed to lie-in state, despite losing her royal titles.
However, it was reported by The Sunday Times back in 2013 that Prince Philip requested that there be no full state funeral to avoid any additional stress. Typically, those in charge at the Palace of Westminster are only given a few hours to arrange everything, and the Duke of Edinburgh didn't feel that was necessary. With the coronavirus pandemic still ongoing, there are some restrictions as well. So, it seems a scaled-back service was inevitable either way.
There will still be a ceremonial funeral
Despite no state funeral, there will be a ceremonial one for the Duke of Edinburgh. According to USA Today, Prince Philip's funeral will take place at St. George's Chapel at the castle, but the invite list will be small. Usually, the funeral invitees are limited to family, friends, and heads of state, but with COVID-19, you can expect even fewer people in attendance.
But Prince Harry is expected to travel back home to attend his grandfather's service, according to People. Since Meghan Markle is currently pregnant with the couple's second child, she may not be joining her husband, due to the pandemic. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been making headlines lately after their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey after their exit from the royal family. Even though Prince Harry decided to step down from his royal duties, he still had a very close relationship with his grandfather. He even admitted that he would have Zoom calls with both the duke and the queen, and the grandparents even got to see little Archie "running around" (via Daily Mail).