Prince Philip funeral: Prince Charles bids final farewell to his father at Windsor Castle

An emotional Prince Charles led mourners out of Windsor Castle to bid a final farewell to his ‘dear Papa’ Prince Philip at his funeral this afternoon while his wife Camilla watched on. 

The Prince of Wales, 72, somberly walked in procession with other members of the Royal Family behind Philip’s custom-built Land Rover Defender hearse, which was driven into the castle’s quadrangle before carrying his coffin through the castle grounds to St George’s Chapel.   

Walking behind the royal family are members of Philip’s household while in front of the coffin are the Services chiefs. Also in the procession are the Earl of Wessex, Duke of York, Duke of Sussex, Peter Phillips, Duke of Cambridge, Vice Admiral Tim Lawrence and the Earl of Snowdon. 

Philip’s coffin was draped with his personal standard, which pays tribute to his birth heritage as a Prince of Greece and Denmark, his family name and his Edinburgh title. 

The first three quarters show his lineage – with blue lions and red hearts on a yellow background representing Denmark, a white cross on blue representing Greece, and his anglicised family name Mountbatten represented with two black ‘pales’ or stripes on white. The fourth quarter contains the arms of the City of Edinburgh. 

Every minute of the procession, which will last eight minutes, a gun will be fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle.

Earlier the Duke of Cornwall was driven in a Tesla car to his mother the Queen’s home in Berkshire while wearing a black mask. His wife Camilla, 73, arrived separately as William and his wife Kate Middleton left Kensington Palace for the funeral of the ‘grandfather of the nation’. 

Last week the Prince of Wales was pictured with tears in his eyes and looking to the heavens as he and Camilla inspected thousands of tributes left for Philip, the nation’s longest serving consort and the Queen’s ‘strength and stay’ of more than 70 years.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall received news of Philip’s death at 99 on their 16th wedding anniversary last Friday. Weeks earlier, they had been in Greece on a two-day visit celebrating the 200th anniversary since the start of the Greek war of independence against the Ottoman Empire, where Charles mentioned his father at an official state dinner. 

In February, the Prince of Wales was pictured teary-eyed as he made a 200-mile round trip to King Edward VII’s hospital in London to visit his father as he was admitted for treatment.  

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were moved by the sea of bouquets, cards and other items left by the duke’s mourners in the Royal Parks and at the gates of Buckingham Palace.

They paused for long periods as they looked at the piles of tributes, and looked particularly sad when they saw a toy Land Rover, his father’s favourite car, which Philip asked to be the hearse to carry his coffin this weekend.

The flowers and condolence messages were transferred from outside the palace and the parks such as St James’ Park to the nearby private gardens at Marlborough House, the headquarters of Commonwealth Foundation. 

Grieving family members rushed to pay tribute to the duke, with Charles earlier having described his father, the nation’s longest-serving consort, as his ‘dear Papa’ and a ‘very special person’. 

The Cambridges are set to see Prince Harry for the first time in a year after the brothers fell out over Megxit and the Sussexes extraordinary and damaging interview with Oprah Winfrey.

 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s insignia, Field Marshal’s baton, RAF wings and decorations from Denmark and Greece resting on cushions have been placed on the altar of St George’s Chapel to mark the passing of the ‘grandfather of the nation’.

At 11am his coffin, covered with Philip’s personal standard along with his sword, naval cap and a wreath of flowers, was moved from Her Majesty’s private chapel to the Inner Hall of Windsor Castle by members of The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

Minutes later a convoy of funeral cars swept the first mourners into the main gates as a single Queen’s Guard stood to attention, as soldiers on horses trotted into the grounds where 700 armed forces personnel will gather. The early guests arriving included The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Lady Penny Brabourne, Philip’s close friend and confidante, and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The castle has a ‘ring of steel’ protecting it led by armed units from the Metropolitan Police. Tens of millions of people in Britain and around the world will be watching the most important royal funeral since the Queen Mother died in 2002. The event, pared back because of the pandemic, was overseen by Philip for at least 20 years before his death.

Her Majesty is determined to ensure it reflects his ‘unwavering loyalty’ to her during their 73-year marriage and her 68-year reign on the throne as well his lifetime of service to the UK and the Commonwealth in his life.  

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 the public to stay away. However, it appears hundreds have defied the warnings and gathered to pay their respects in Windsor despite the risk of fines or even arrest.

People who knew Philip best have said he would be pleased about the smaller crowds because he always demanded ‘no fuss’ in the event of his death. People staying at home for the funeral decked their homes in Union Flags and pictures of the duke and his wife, with many enjoying traditional full English breakfasts or afternoon teas as they watched on TV.