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British Royals

The Archbishop of Canterbury urges the UK to think of The Queen as she faces ”an anguished moment”

The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged people across the UK to think of The Queen as she prepares to lay her husband of 73 years to rest.

Just hours before the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, Justin Welby spoke to the BBC and said the coming day must be ”an anguished moment” for the Monarch as she says her final farewell.

The Archbishop, who will pronounce the blessing at the funeral, said ”I hope that the whole nation, if they believe in that, they pray for her, if they don’t, they sympathise and in their hearts, offer their condolences to her and the hope for her to find strength in what must be an anguished moment.”

The Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9th 2021 at Windsor Castle since when he has laid at rest in the private chapel at the royal residence. His funeral takes place on April 17th 2021 at St. George’s Chapel when The Queen will lead mourners, limited to just thirty in number because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Justin Welby said The Queen will  ”behave with the extraordinary dignity, extraordinary courage that she always does” but added that ”she is saying farewell to someone to whom she was married for 73 years. I think that must be a very, very profound thing.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral service will be preceded by a national minute of silence at 3pm.

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.