Light-hearted, sassy and rude to the end. “I can’t imagine nothing worse than living up to a hundred years», he had said in saying goodbye to the queen mother. And so he left two months before he made them. “No state funerals, no official celebrations,” another request from him. And so it will be, also due to the anti Covid rules to be respected. “When I die, put me in the trunk of the Land Rover and take me to Windsor.”, again the words he would say to the queen. Ed Elizabeth II will respect this too.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a lifetime three steps behind His Majesty, but considered – by his own admission – “his rock”, he also wanted to dictate the conditions of his departure. He is part of the character, after all.
THE MODIFIED RANGE ROVER
The last farewell to Prince Philip will be held Saturday 17 to 15 (London time) in St. George Chapel at Windsor Castle. To respect the guidelines, there can only be 30 people, that is not even a tenth of the full royal family. Audience members were asked not to attempt to attend any of the celebrations that make up the funeral. Before the ceremony, there will be a short and intimate procession. According to the duke’s instructions, a Range Rover Defender has been modified ad hoc to carry the coffin wrapped in his personal banner, with the sword and hat of a naval officer, his other great love. After the queen, of course.
I tecnici e meccanici del Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers have already modified two vehicles, one covered and one uncovered. Because, you know, rain in Great Britain is always around the corner. Prince Philip, as Boris Johnson also recalled, was a great enthusiast of the steering wheel. Even when he had to give up his driver’s license – obviously at the age of 90 and after racking up many speeding tickets – the Duke of Edinburgh used to drive around the Windsor property.
THE PARADE
There are no public processions, only a short procession within the confines of the castle. Eight minutes, circa. The honor of carrying the Duke’s coffin inside the Chapel of St. George will go to the Royal Marines, of which he was Captain General. The funeral will begin with a minute of national silence at 3pm.
THE QUEEN
To comply with the anti-contagion rules, the queen will wear the mask and sit alone in the church, distanced from the other members of the royal family because, as explained by the Times, For over a year Elisabetta has lived “in a bubble”, isolated within her properties with a very small circle of collaborators. The only person authorized to sit next to her may be Philip’s private secretary, Archie Miller-Bakewell, whose presence is taken for granted. It seems, in fact, that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given up participating in order to leave his post at Bakewell.
THE 30 GUESTS
There will be senior members of the royal family, obviously starting with four children: Carlo, Anna, Andrea and Edoardo. Everyone will take place together with their own family. Then there will be the eight grandchildren. It will be Carlo, again according to the Times, a utter the eulogy. It is not yet known if Kate Middleton and William will also bring the eldest son George, Age 7 and heir to the throne. For numerical reasons, ex-spouses will probably be excluded even if a question mark remains next to the name of Sarah Ferguson. Members of the royal family would have decided not to wear military uniforms, so as not to create embarrassment. Harry and Andrew of York were stripped of their military titles, and could not have worn the uniform.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away at the age of 99 on 9 April, will be buried inside the Royal Vault in St George’s Chapel. But it won’t be his final resting place. When the queen dies, Prince Philip will be transferred to the King George VI chapel memorial. There are also the remains of King George VI, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
Will officiate the Archbishop of Canterbury. But Philip also wanted to have his say on the sermon. As former Archbishop Rowan Williams al Times, the queen’s husband had once told him what – in his opinion – a good sermon should be: “He told me very, very firmly, that if I got past eight minutes he would have me locked up in the Tower of London.”
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