THE Duke of Edinburgh will be laid to rest today following his death last Friday at the age of 99.
The proceedings, which will broadcast live on the BBC and ITV1, will take place this afternoon and will stay within the grounds of Windsor Castle to avoid crowds gathering.
The service is due to begin at 3pm, and the ceremonial elements will begin an hour earlier, including a procession which steps off at 2.45pm, followed by the arrival of a Land Rover carrying the coffin and a national minute’s silence.
The procession and service will be televised, including on ITV1 from 1.15pm to 4.30pm.
The BBC is to mark the funeral with a series of special programmes today, and there will also be coverage from 2pm to 4.10pm on Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live.
Original plans for military processions through London or Windsor have been scrapped, and the Royal Family is asking the public not to gather at the castle or other royal residences.
A reduced choir of just four singers will sing pieces of music chosen by Philip. Guests will follow Covid rules and not sing.
The Queen – like all 30 guests invited to the service – will wear a facemask.
She will sit by herself in the quire of St George’s Chapel, with all mourners following Covid guidelines and remaining socially distanced.
Philip was the guiding force behind his funeral arrangements and, reflecting his life-long association with the Royal Navy, buglers of the Royal Marines will sound Action Stations during the service.
It is played on a warship to signal all hands should go to battle stations and is sometimes featured at funerals of naval men.
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 on a custom-built Land Rover hearse, members of the royal family on foot, Philip’s household staff, and finally a Bentley carrying the Queen.
The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will not walk shoulder to shoulder when they join senior royals taking part in the funeral process
William and Harry, whose troubled relationship has been well documented, will be separated by their cousin Peter Phillips as they walk in a line behind their grandfather’s coffin.
A national minute’s silence will take place at 3pm at the start of the funeral.
The procession will last eight minutes.
Philip will be interred in the royal vault in the chapel at the end of the service, which will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner.
A lament will then be played by a pipe major of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and the Last Post will be sounded by Buglers of the Royal Marines from the west end of the Nave.
After a period of silence, the Reveille, used to wake the military at sunrise, will be sounded by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry from the west end of the Nave.
The Buglers of the Royal Marines will sound Action Stations, which will be followed by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s blessing and the singing of the National Anthem by the choir.
Full guest list
Here is the full list of guests who will attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral:
1. The Queen
2. The Prince of Wales
3. The Duchess of Cornwall
4. The Duke of Cambridge
5. The Duchess of Cambridge
6. The Duke of Sussex
7. The Duke of York
8. Princess Beatrice
9. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
10. Princess Eugenie
11. Jack Brooksbank
12. The Earl of Wessex
13. The Countess of Wessex
14. Lady Louise Windsor
15. Viscount Severn
16. The Princess Royal
17. Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
18. Peter Phillips
19. Zara Phillips
20. Mike Tindall
21. Earl of Snowdon
22. Lady Sarah Chatto
23. Daniel Chatto
24. Duke of Gloucester
25. Duke of Kent
26. Princess Alexandra
27. Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
28. Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse
29. Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
30. The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Buckingham Palace confirmed that royal men will wear morning coats with their medals and the women will wear day dresses.
A prayer service for the Duke of Edinburgh took place at Worcester Cathedral yesterday.
Members of the public were invited to join community figures to pay their respects to the Duke.
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