Royal biographer on funeral and 'end of an era'

WINDSOR: Royal biographer Christopher Warwick on Saturday said the funeral of Prince Philip Saturday marks "the end of an era."

Speaking in Windsor, Warwick said Prince Philip will be remembered as a man of “courage, fortitude and faith”, at a service that will salute both his service in the Royal Navy and his support for Queen Elizabeth II over three quarters of a century.

Noting that the monarch and her consort had known one another for 81 years - and married for 73 - Warwick described the prince as "her constant companion.. her confidant..And as somebody once put it, he was the only man who could ever have told the queen to shut up."

Philip, who died April 9 at the age of 99, will be laid to rest in the Royal Vault at Windsor Castle after a funeral service steeped in military and royal tradition - but also pared down and infused with his own personality.

The funeral will reflect Philip's military ties, both as a ceremonial commander of many units and as a veteran of war. More than 700 military personnel are set to take part, including army bands, Royal Marine buglers and an honor guard drawn from across the armed forces.

To deter crowds gathering during a pandemic, the entire procession and funeral will take place within the grounds of the castle, a 950-year-old royal residence 20 miles (about 30 kilometers) west of London. It will be shown live on television.

Inside the Gothic chapel, the setting for centuries of royal weddings and funerals, the service will be simple and somber. There will be no sermon, at Philip’s request, and no family eulogies or readings, in keeping with royal tradition.

The children of Philip and the queen - Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - will walk behind the hearse, while the 94-year-old queen will travel to the chapel in a Bentley car.

Grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry will also walk behind the coffin, although not side by side. The brothers, whose relationship has been strained amid Harry’s decision to quit royal duties and move to California, will flank their cousin Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne.

"I hope they will both have the respect and the courtesy to put their differences to one side. If they don't want to speak to one another, fair enough. But this is not Harry's day. It isn't William's day. This is Prince Philip's day. And they are saying farewell to their grandfather," said Warwick,

Mourners have been instructed to wear masks and observe social distancing inside the chapel, and not to join in when a four-person choir sings hymns. The queen, who has spent much of the past year isolating with her husband at Windsor Castle, will sit alone.