Prince Philip funeral: Sophie Wessex cuts an elegant figure in long-sleeved black dress

Sophie, Countess of Wessex bowed her head today she entered St George’s Chapel to attend the funeral of Prince Philip with her children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. 

The wife of Prince Edward wore an ankle-length black dress coat and sling-back heels to enter the chapel.

The demure look was finished with a black fascinator, while she tied her blonde hair back and clutch a bag.  

She was joined by her daughter Lady Louise, 17, and son James, Viscount Severn, 13.

Louise, the youngest granddaughter of the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh walked alongside her brother to mourn their grandfather who died in Windsor Castle last week aged 99. 

Louise, is 14th in line to the throne and the only daughter of Prince Edward, 57, and Sophie Wessex, 56, she tied her long blonde hair into a pretty plait, and added a black hair band and matching face mask.

The siblings attendance at the funeral is their most high-profile engagement to date, although they have been guests at their cousins weddings.

The Queen’s seventh grandchild, Louise lives in Bagshot Park,  just a few miles from Windsor Castle, with her parents and younger brother – who is 13th in line to the throne and the youngest of the Queen’s grandchildren.  

Today, Sophie, Louise and James travelled in a car to St George’s Chapel while Prince Edward joined the procession of senior royals walking behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin.  

The Queen’s youngest son walked shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother, Prince Andrew, 61, and behind his eldest siblings Prince Charles, 72, and Princess Anne, 70. 

Close to their grandparents, The Wessex family are regularly pictured at Windsor Castle with Louise following in her grandfather’s footsteps to become an accomplished equestrian. 

Last Friday, the teenager was pictured in the grounds of Windsor Castle taking her grandfather’s ponies carriage driving on the morning of his death. 

Lady Louise Windsor, 17, is a ‘real asset’ to the family, royal expert says

Lady Louise’s appearance comes as a royal expert said she was an ‘asset to the firm’.

Speaking to FEMAIL, royal author and expert Ingrid Seward explained Lady Louise, the Queen’s youngest granddaughter, has ‘always been an asset’ to the royal family.

On Sunday Lady Louise joined her parents and uncle Prince Andrew for a service at Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor, before thanking estate workers for their support and hard work. 

The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will be one of the most high profile events attended by the young royals, although they were invited to the weddings of their cousins, Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie, while Louise served as a bridesmaid at Prince William’s wedding when she was just seven. 

‘She has always been an asset to the family and very polite which the Queen loves,’ Ingrid said. 

 

‘Remember how she helped the bridesmaids on the steps of St. George’s Chapel as they went inside at Princess Eugenie’s wedding and her skirt blew up in the wind in front of the TV cameras? She handled it very deftly.’ 

She added on Lady Louise’s bond with the Duke of Edinburgh: ‘Prince Philip took pleasure in watching Louise compete at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. 

‘I don’t think he taught her himself but he would have made sure she had some top-class tuition from one of his grooms and of course the availability of ponies and carriages to drive.’

Meanwhile 13-year-old James has been trusted to join his parents and sister at public events despite his young age. 

Last week, Sophie led royal tributes to Prince Philip as she movingly described his death on Friday as ‘so gentle’ and said how his passing was ‘just like someone took him by the hand and off he went’.

Sophie was speaking to mourners outside the chapel at a Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor.  

She said: ‘You know it’s going to happen but when it happens it’s just this massive, massive hole. It was so gentle, it was just like someone took him by the hand and off he went. 

‘Very, very peaceful and that’s all you want with somebody isn’t it? I think it’s so much easier for the person that goes than the people left behind, we’re all sitting here looking at each other going ‘This is awful’.’

The countess also called all the tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh ‘amazing’ and even shared a joke about the manicured lawn of the church yard. Pointing to the sky, Sophie remarked: ‘Well we know if [staff] had not done such a great job, there is one person who would have noticed!’

Edward, the Queen and Philip’s youngest son, emotionally revealed: ‘However one tries to prepare oneself for something like this, it’s still a dreadful shock and we’re sort of trying to come to terms with that.

‘It’s very, very, sad, but I have to say, the extraordinary tributes and the memories that everybody’s had and been willing to share has been so fantastic and it just goes to show, he might have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people.

‘And just being here this morning with everybody from Windsor Great Park and he was a ranger here for, I think, more years than any other ranger and he means so much to so many people here and it’s the same for those who lived and worked at Balmoral and Sandringham. 

‘For all those past and present, he means a huge huge amount to them… they all have their own personal memories and stories and our hearts go out to all of them as well.’

Sophie added: ‘He always exchanged words with everybody because it didn’t matter what anybody was doing in and around the estate, here and everywhere else, they all meant a lot to him and he always took a very personal interest in everything that they were doing. So they’ve all got stories to tell and most of them are quite funny as well’.  

Separately, Edward added that his mother was ‘bearing up’ and the royal family appreciated ‘the wave of affection’ for the Duke of Edinburgh from the public since his death was announced on Friday.

The earl said: ‘That wave of affection for him and just those lovely stories. They just mean so much and the tributes have been just fantastic. That’s really, really important and we really do appreciate it.’

Referring to the warm wishes that have poured in from around the world, Sophie said it had been ‘so lovely for so many people to learn about what he did’. She added: ‘I just think quite a lot of things that have come out will have surprised some people and how intrinsic he was to every element of society, if you look at it.’

The couple recalled some of the scrapes Philip got into while carriage driving around the Windsor estate. Smiling, Sophie said Philip had been ‘pulled out of a few ditches here I seem to remember as well’.