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Prince Philip

No Royal Family eulogy at the funeral of Prince Philip

Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh

There will be no royal eulogy for the Duke of Edinburgh when his funeral takes place later today.

The Order of Service, shared on the eve of his funeral, showed that no member of the family will give a spoken tribute to the Prince who died on April 9th 2021. The readings will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor who are leading the service. There will be no clergy sermon either, in line with the Duke’s wishes.

Coronavirus pandemic restrictions means that the ceremony has had to be altered in several ways. Just thirty people will gather inside St. George’s to say farewell to the Duke and none of them will be allowed to sing the hymn chosen by Philip for his funeral. Instead, a choir of four voices will perform all the music selected for the ceremony.

The Royal Family will have to observe social distancing and stay within their household bubbles as they take part in the ceremony. They will also have to wear facemasks throughout the service.

The procession bearing the coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh will make its way through the Castle grounds, starting its final journey at 2.45pm. It will be carried on a specially designed Land Rover. The Queen and Prince Philip’s four children will walk alongside it while other mourners, led by their eldest grandson Peter Phillips, will follow the vehicle. The Queen will be driven to the funeral by car with a lady in waiting at her side.

The Grenadier Guards and the Royal Marines will take up the roles of Bearer Party. The service, which starts after a national minute of silence at 3pm, will end with interment in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.