A guard of honour planned by Prince Philip for his funeral which couldn’t go ahead because of pandemic restrictions will feature in the Service of Thanksgiving for him at Westminster Abbey.
Prince Philip had requested that Gold Award Holders from his Duke of Edinburgh Scheme form a guard of honour at his funeral along with members of the UK Cadet Force Associations – he was there Colonel-in-Chief. However, Covid restrictions in place at the time of his funeral in April 2021 meant that wasn’t possible. They will now step line entrances into Westminster Abbey for the special service on March 29th 2022.
The Prince had also requested the congregation sing Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer at his funeral but group singing was forbidden because of the pandemic at the time. It will now be sung by all those attending his Service of Thanksgiving.
Prayers will be offered by the Minister of Crathie Church, the Rector of Sandringham and the Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park to honour another wish made by Prince Philip. He had requested that they be involved in his funeral but, again, restrictions prevented that.
The Queen has been closely involved in planning this memorial for her husband, who died on April 9th 2021. The flowers in the Abbey for the service will include orchids which featured heavily in her bouquet when she married Prince Philip in the church in November 1947.
However, there will be no family eulogy at the service. Instead, the tribute will be given by Doyin Sonibare who is a Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award holder.
The Service will be led by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster and the address will be given by the Right Reverend David Conner , the Dean of Windsor who also led Prince Philip’s funeral service. The Blessing will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Choirs of Westminster Abbey, and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace will lead the music during the Service. Ahead of the ceremony, the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines (Portsmouth) will play as the congregation arrives. At the end, they will play ‘The Seafarers’ as a final tribute to Prince Philip who was Captain General of the Royal Marines for over sixty years.
The Queen and the Royal Family will be joined by royalty from around the world for the service along with representatives of the hundred of organisations that Prince Philip supported.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9th 2021 at the age of 99.
