Dawn breaks over Windsor on day of Prince Philip’s funeral

A golden glow fell over the grounds of Windsor Castle this morning as dawn broke on the day HRH Prince Philip will be laid to rest. 

The eyes of the world will be on the royal residence today as the Queen says her final goodbye to the Duke of Edinburgh, her husband, strength and stay of 73 years.

In pre-pandemic times thousands of mourners would have travelled to the Berkshire town to pay their respects, but the Royal Family, the Government and police are asking well-wishers to stay away.

Early this morning members of the armed forces, police, security and the media were taking up positions around the Castle ahead of this afternoon’s service.

While much of the typical regal pageantry has been pared back, Buckingham Palace says it will still reflect the plans the Duke himself spent years fine-tuning. 

Right down to the bespoke Land Rover hearse to carry his own coffin, the event will be executed with Philip’s characteristic military precision leading up to the 3pm service at St George’s Chapel.   

The Queen, 94, will say a private farewell to her husband before his body is driven to the chapel tailed by a small procession including his four children and three grandsons. 

Sources say she has been the ‘epitome of dignity’ this week, and the Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to her ‘extraordinary dignity and courage’.

Justin Welby, who will praise Philip’s ‘life of service to the nation and Commonwealth’ at the service, added that he hoped the nation prayed for her and ‘hope for her to find strength in what must be an anguished moment’.

As the Queen prepared to lead the nation in mourning: 

• No planes will land or take off at nearby Heathrow for six minutes to coincide with the minute’s silence;
• Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will praise Philip’s ‘life of service to the nation and Commonwealth’ at the service;
• The Order of Service, released by the Palace last night, reflects Philip’s naval roots, including the seafarers’ hymn Eternal Father, Strong To Save;
• The Earl and Countess of Wessex, with their daughter Lady Louise, appeared touched by tributes left in memory of the duke when they viewed cards and flowers at Windsor Castle.

Buckingham Palace has shared a touching unseen picture of the Queen with her husband, who died peacefully at the castle on Friday last week at 99.

It shows the couple at one of their ‘happy places’ – the Coyles of Muick hills close to Balmoral, where they enjoyed walking and picnics throughout their long lives together. The Queen so loves the place that she named her new corgi puppy after it.

The photograph – taken by their daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex in 2003 during one of their family summer holidays – was specially chosen by Her Majesty to share ahead of today’s funeral. 

The couple look blissfully happy and relaxed as they sit back in the heather, the Queen in her off duty Scottish dress of a woollen twinset, pearls and a tartan skirt, with Philip in country casuals and a sun hat resting on his knee.

The duke’s coffin, draped in his personal standard and bearing his naval cap, sword and a wreath of flowers, will first be seen at 2.41pm today when it emerges from the State Entrance to Windsor Castle carried by a bearer party from The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

It will then be placed on the Land Rover hearse that Philip personally designed for the occasion for the eight-minute journey to the chapel, followed by a procession of nine family members. 

The Queen was seen yesterday walking her puppies Muick and Fergus, a dorgi, in the gardens at Frogmore, where her grandson Prince Harry has been quarantining after flying in from the US, leading to speculation she may have greeted him from a distance.

She is said to have been ‘stoical’ about her husband’s death, and has been personally involved in the funeral preparations, including the order that senior royals wear morning dress instead of uniforms to stop tensions over what Andrew and Harry should wear.

She even found time yesterday to talk to governor general of Australia David Hurley and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, both of whom expressed their condolences.

Today’s funeral service will be for just 30 mourners – the maximum under Covid restrictions. Boris Johnson, who gave up his place, left a wreath for the duke outside St George’s Chapel yesterday saying the nation owes ‘more than words can say’.

All those at the socially distanced service will wear masks, including the Queen. The congregation will not be able to sing and the hymns performed by a small choir of four.

The Queen will follow her husband’s coffin on his Land Rover hearse down from the castle to the chapel in her State Bentley. The Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner, who will lead the service, will say of the duke: ‘We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith.’

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who will pronounce the Blessing today, said it was important for people to understand the Queen was facing the day with ‘extraordinary dignity and courage’, while saying goodbye to the most important person in her life.

He added that he hoped the nation prayed for her and ‘hope for her to find strength in what must be an anguished moment’.

Meanwhile, the Queen has been forced to ask her family not to military uniforms to save Harry’s blushes. 

Prince Andrew asked to dress as an admiral, has stuck with royal protocol and kept Peter Phillips, her eldest grandchild, at the centre of the procession between the warring brothers. 

He is being seen by royal experts as a ‘mediator’ on the day, having supported them when their mother Diana died in 1997.

Keeping Harry and William apart will be seen by some as a missed opportunity to show family unity in the wake of Prince Philip’s death. 

Others questioned whether the princes were being kept apart deliberately at their own request, but the Royal Family has refused to discuss it. 

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘This is a funeral [and] we will not be drawn into those perceptions of drama. The arrangements have been agreed and reflect Her Majesty’s wishes.’ 

Today royal biographer Hugo Vickers claimed that Peter Phillips, Philip’s eldest grandson, has been deliberately chosen to help his two younger cousins find a way forward with their relationship, which has become badly strained in the past year.

He said: ‘Peter Philips was incredibly good with the boys when Diana died, so I think it will be very good for them. 

‘Sometimes I think that when people behave very well in public, which I think they will do, they find it easier to behave better in private. Prince Philip and the Queen were conciliators all their life so I’m sure that is what he would have wanted’.

Her Majesty’s youngest son Edward, his wife Sophie and their 17-year-old daughter Lady Louise nodded to well-wishers as they drove through the gates of Windsor Castle this afternoon.

The family then stopped to inspect bouquets, notes, cards and balloons left by well-wishers mourning the death of the Queen’s husband a week ago now moved to outside St George’s Chapel.

Sophie, while looking over handwritten letters from children, could be heard saying ‘how sweet’, before speaking to her husband about the huge amount of flowers. 

They walked around for about fifteen minutes before leaving.

Among them were wreaths bearing messages from Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon and the Royal Navy. The couple appeared touched by the tributes.

Edward inspected the tributes 24 hours after his eldest brother Charles shed tears as he did the same at Marlborough House – the home of the Commonwealth – in central London, where floral tributes laid at the gates of Buckingham Palace are brought each evening.

A wreath from Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, saying the nation owes him ‘more than words can say’. 

The Prime Minister’s written message, laid outside St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle, read: ‘In grateful memory of a man to whom the nation owes more than words can say. Sent on behalf of the nation. From the Prime Minister’.

A wreath from Nicola Sturgeon read: ‘With deepest sympathy from the First Minister of Scotland and the Scottish Government.’

The Royal Navy’s tribute read: ‘In gratitude for an exceptional life of service from all ranks of the Royal Navy. Fair winds and following seas.’ 

It came as details of Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral, which will take place at 3pm tomorrow, were publicly released. 

These included:

• The Queen will wear a mask, sit socially-distanced from her family and follow the coffin of her husband of 73 years in the state Bentley;
• The 30-strong congregation comprises of all of Philip’s children and grandchildren, their spouses and close relatives including Princess Margaret’s son the Earl of Snowdon;
• The only non-family member of the group is his close friend and carriage driving companion Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Penny Knatchbull;
• Other royals including the Duchess of Kent have not been invited after Covid rules meant a 1,000-name list was whittled down;
• The Land Rover hearse specially designed by the duke to carry his coffin was unveiled.

William and Harry, 36, were last seen in public together at a Commonwealth Day service in March last year where they could barely look each other in the eye following Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the Royal Family.

Relations were further soured by the couple’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, in which they attacked senior royals while Philip, who died on Friday aged 99, lay in hospital.

It had been quietly hoped that the loss of their beloved grandfather, who both men loved deeply, might start the process of rapprochement.

Tomorrow is likely to be particularly difficult for the brothers as it will evoke memories of having to walk behind their mother’s coffin when they were just 15 and 13. 

In Windsor today, security was stepped as the castle town went into final preparations for tomorrow’s funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Dozens of security officials were stationed alongside police armed with machine guns as appeals were made for the public to stay away.

Those that did attend to place flowers on the gates of Windsor Castle were asked to remove all the wrappings and told that their tributes would be taken away at the end of the day.

Thousands flocked to pay their respects and among them was Professor Chris Imafidon who met Phillip in 2003 when the Royal visited Queen Mary University in East London.

Wearing the Duke’s image on his face mask, the message imprinted on it said: ‘His energy his enthusiasm and his commitment to the British people is now going to be lacking. 

‘I don’t know who can step into that position I don’t think that anyone can replace him.’

He added: ‘I was nervous about meeting him but he made me feel so relaxed straight away. 

‘I told him I was nervous because I was a foreigner and he was a member of the British Royal family. But he said to me ‘I am Greek, I’m a foreigner and I’m a refugee too!’

‘I have come to pay my respects because he was such a wonderful person. He was all about education, emancipation, empowerment and equality. He will be missed by many, many people.’

Dance teacher Carole Hellewell, 60, from Farnham, said: ‘I was here on Sunday and it was very busy. I’ve put some flowers down then.

‘I’ve come back with my husband David because our friends in Canada and America asked us to lay some tribute for them too. It’s a very, very sad time and I think Prince Phillip’s death will be felt by millions all over the world.’

Publican Robert Gillespie, 62, who runs the Two Brewers Pub next to the castle, has decorated his establishment in red white and blue flowers to mark the princes death.

He said: ‘I used to see him when he would drive his horse and carriage down here from the Royal Mees towards the Long Walk and he would always give me a wave.

‘I’ll be closing the pub tomorrow or the day of his funeral also to pay respects to him.’

On the castle entrance facing the Long Walk, lines of flowers had been placed.

One message said: ‘To a brilliant and lovely Queen. We are sorry that your beloved husband has died. We hope you are well. Keep smiling.’

Another message read: ‘We hope you find comfort in all the wonderful memories you’ll have of all your times together. And you can continue to smile as he would want you to.’

William and Harry will be among nine family members who will walk behind Philip’s coffin, leaving the Sovereign’s entrance at Windsor Castle at 2.45pm.

William, 38, and Harry will walk in the third row of mourners, with their cousin Peter Phillips in between them, behind the Queen’s four children.

The procession will be led by the Prince of Wales and his sister, Princess Anne, followed by Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.

Behind William and Harry will be Princess Anne’s husband, Tim Laurence, and Philip’s nephew, the Earl of Snowdon, with staff bringing up the rear.

A palace spokesman said the Queen had been forced to make ‘difficult’ decisions about who to include among the guests as a result of Covid restrictions.

But she did her best to honour her late husband’s wishes and include representatives of all sides of the family – and from every generation, apart from his great-grandchildren who are considered too young to attend.

‘The family have had to implement his wishes in the best way they can,’ he said. 

He stressed that the decision for the two princes to move apart from Mr Phillips and go into the chapel separately was a ‘practical’ one, as they could not have walked three abreast through the door while social distancing.

Prince Philip had been involved in the planning for his funeral for at least two decades, but his wife had been forced to change it to a pared back event due to Covid.

More than 700 military personnel will be involved in ceremony, with his beloved Royal Marines carrying his coffin, which will bear his sword and cap.

Tomorrow service detachments recognising Philip’s special military relationships will be in position in the Windsor Castle Quadrangle, as he begins his final journey.

These include the: Royal Navy; Royal Marines; Band of the Royal Marines; Royal Fleet Auxiliary; The Queen’s Royal Hussars (The Queen’s Own and Royal Irish); Grenadier, Coldstream and Welsh Guards; The Highlanders, 4th Battalion; The Royal Regiment of Scotland; Royal Gurkha Rifles; The Rifles; REME; Intelligence Corps; Royal Air Force; Guidon, Colour and Truncheon Parties and several military bands.

The Quadrangle will also be lined by the Household Cavalry, The Foot Guards and the Band of the Grenadier Guards.

Before the funeral procession sets off, the Queen will have a moment of quiet reflection when her car draws up behind the coffin at the State Entrance to the castle and pauses for a moment.

The procession will then depart, following the Land Rover as it is driven to the west steps of St George’s Chapel. But the Queen will not be required to follow it all the way down.

Instead her car will stop at the Galilee porch at the chapel, where she will be greeted by the Dean of Windsor before taking her seat inside.

On the altar will be displayed some of the duke’s regalia personally chosen by Philip himself, which will include nods to his Danish and Greek heritage.

Buckingham Palace has refused to say what the royal family will do after the service. In normal circumstances there would be a wake, but coronavirus rules allow only outdoor gatherings of up to six people. The televised ceremonial aspects of the funeral will start at 2pm.

A Palace spokesman stressed the funeral will be a ‘family event’ said the Royal Family was ‘grateful’ and ‘touched’ for all the messages of condolence from around the world and at the way so many people had shared ‘fond memories’ of the duke.

Among the other guests are the Duchess of Cornwall, all of the duke’s grandchildren and their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret and three of Philip’s German relatives – Bernhard, the Hereditary Prince of Baden; Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Also invited is a close friend of the duke, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, previously known as Lady Romsey and later Lady Brabourne, who was Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends.

While the Queen will be joined by her lady-in-waiting on her way to the service, she will sit by herself in the quire of the chapel, with all mourners following Covid-19 guidelines and remaining socially distanced. The lady-in-waiting will not sit in the quire and is not counted among the guest list of 30.

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 borne on a custom-built Land Rover hearse, members of the royal family on foot, Philip’s household staff, and finally the Bentley carrying the Queen.

The Palace has not said which lady-in-waiting will accompany Her Majesty in the vehicle.

The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, personally chosen by the monarch, have a variety of duties including attending to private and personal matters for the Queen and handling her correspondence.

They include her senior lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, who was married to the late BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey.

The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting have also been part of HMS Bubble – the name given to the reduced selection of around 20 staff attending to the Queen at Windsor during lockdown.

Some of the ladies-in-waiting have been with the Queen for more than 50 years and act as both friends and loyal assistants, and their discretion and support will be invaluable.

Details of Philip’s funeral were released by Buckingham Palace Thursday night and it has been confirmed the Queen – like all 30 guests invited to the service – will wear a facemask in the car and in the chapel.

The Queen will depart the Sovereign’s Entrance in the state Bentley accompanied by a lady-in-waiting at 2.44pm.

Prince Harry has spoken in the past about how he and William are on ‘different paths’ and have good and bad days in their relationship.

Their brotherly bond was put under further strain after the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey where they accused a royal family member of racism, something William strongly denied.

Asked whether arrangements for the procession reflected the royal siblings’ relationship, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘This is a funeral, we’re not going to be drawn into those perceptions of drama, or anything like that, this is a funeral.

‘The arrangements have been agreed, and they represent Her Majesty’s wishes, so we’re not going to say anything more on that.’

The Buckingham Palace spokesman stressed the duke’s funeral will ‘at its heart’ be a ‘family event’.

He said: ‘We are following the Covid guidelines, there (is) a limit on who could be invited as a guest and Her Majesty wanted to ensure that all branches of the duke’s family were there, and had to make – I think fair to say – difficult decisions about who would be there.’

BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards will lead nearly six hours of coverage broadcast from Windsor across three programmes on Friday and Saturday, while ITV News’ funeral coverage on Saturday will be led by Tom Brady and Julie Etchingham. 

During the funeral service, which will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor David Conner, the duke’s coffin will be lowered into the royal vault in front of the guests.

A senior palace official said: ‘The dean will give the commendation as the coffin is lowered into the royal vault, Garter Principal King of Arms will then proclaim His Royal Highness’ styles and titles from the sanctuary.’

The Duke’s project to custom build his own Land Rover hearse spanned 16 years, with Philip requesting a repaint in military green and designing the open top rear and special ‘stops’ to secure his coffin in place.

Philip’s modified Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle has been unveiled for the first time, two days before his final farewell in St George’s Chapel.

The duke, who died aged 99 on Friday, made the final adjustments in 2019, the year he turned 98.

He first began the long-lasting venture to create his own bespoke hearse in collaboration with Land Rover in 2003, the year he turned 82.

The polished sturdy, utilitarian vehicle, with its heavy duty wheels and angular structure, stands as a showcase for the duke’s practical nature, and his passion for functional design and engineering.

The Defender was made at Land Rover’s factory in Solihull in 2003 and Philip oversaw the modifications throughout the intervening years.

The duke, who served with distinction in the Second World War and held special associations with all the Armed Forces, requested the original Belize Green bodywork be switched to Dark Bronze Green, a colour used for many military Land Rovers.

He also designed the open top rear section where his coffin will rest, made to his exact specifications, including the rubber grips on silver metal pins known as the ‘stops’ or ‘stoppers’ which perform the crucial task of preventing the coffin from moving.

Details on the vehicle include matching green hubs, a black front grille, a single cab and no registration plates.

Eighteen years after the duke began the Land Rover project, the vehicle will finally be used for its intended function on Saturday.

The vehicle will ferry Philip’s coffin in a slow procession from the state entrance of Windsor Castle through the grounds to the west steps of St George’s Chapel, followed by the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family on foot.

Land Rover has maintained the vehicle since it was built and has prepared it for the funeral in collaboration with the Royal Household.

Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive Thierry Bollore hailed Philip’s ‘impressive knowledge and deep interest in vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing’.

He said: ‘We are deeply privileged to have enjoyed a very long and happy association with the Duke of Edinburgh over many decades.

‘We are also honoured that the Land Rover which the duke designed will be used at the funeral on Saturday. The duke was a tremendous champion for design, engineering and technology.

‘During his visits to our sites he engaged with hundreds of employees and demonstrated his impressive knowledge and deep interest in vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing.

‘The duke was a truly remarkable man and will be greatly missed.’

Prince Philip used Land Rovers throughout his adult life and granted his Royal Warrant to Land Rover over 40 years ago.

He visited Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing facilities on numerous occasions over the decades and accompanied the Queen when she opened Jaguar Land Rover’s new Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton in 2014.

The Land Rover’s original role would also have been to transport the duke 22 miles from Wellington Arch in central London to Windsor, but the coronavirus pandemic curtailed the long-held plans for military parades in honour of Philip through the streets of both the capital and the Berkshire town.

It will be flanked by pall bearers reflecting the duke’s special relationships with the military, the Royal Marines, Regiments, Corps and Air Stations.

Palace officials have told how the duke’s interest in design sparked his desire to make the Land Rover and include it in his funeral plans, codenamed Operation Forth Bridge.

Two Land Rovers were made for ‘belt and braces’ in case a backup was needed.

In 2019, the duke, then 97, was driving a Land Rover Freelander when he was involved in a serious car crash involving a mother and a baby.

The car Philip was driving was hit by another vehicle when he pulled out of a driveway on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on to a busy A road, after being dazzled by the low sun.

The duke’s car flipped over and he was trapped, and had to be rescued through the sunroof by a passing motorist. He was miraculously unscathed.

The baby was unhurt, but both women in the other vehicle had to be treated in hospital, and one broke her wrist.

Three weeks after the crash, Buckingham Palace said Philip’s driving days on public roads were finally over and he had voluntarily surrendered his driving licence. The CPS later confirmed Philip would face no action over the crash.

Also today it was revealed how the Duke of Edinburgh personally selected the regalia that will be on the altar for his funeral.

Philip’s chosen insignia, the medals and decorations conferred on him by the UK and Commonwealth countries – together with his Royal Air Force wings and Field Marshal’s baton, will be pre-positioned on nine cushions on the altar in St George’s Chapel.