Prince Harry will visit his grandfather Prince Philip‘s funeral after the death of the 99-year-old Royal Friday, the Associated Press Reports.
Prince Philip’s funeral will be held on April 17th at Windsor Castle in a family service that will be closed to the public, Buckingham Palace said in a statement to the US TODAY on Saturday.
Prince Harry will attend the service together with other members of the royal family, although a wife Duchess Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, was advised by her doctor not to make the long journey, reports the Associated Press.
“The service will be preceded by a solemn procession on the grounds of Windsor Castle,” said the palace’s statement. “The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered in HRH’s personal standard and draped with a wreath of flowers, rests in the private chapel at Windsor Castle, where it will be kept until the day of the funeral.”
The palace said Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, participated in planning his funeral and the focus on the family was what he wanted.
Palace officials said the ceremony would be conducted strictly in accordance with the government’s COVID-19 guidelines, which limit the number of people attending funerals. They declined to say whether the royal family would have to wear masks.
The coronavirus pandemic means it’s a more reluctant goodbye than has been the case with many royal deaths. The pandemic has required changes to the well-prepared plans for Philip’s pass-by, code-named Operation Forth Bridge.
“During the coronavirus pandemic, and given current government advice and social distancing guidelines, modified funeral and ceremonial rules for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh are being considered by Her Majesty the Queen,” Buckingham said Palace in a statement on Friday.
The College of Arms, the body that oversees the ceremonial protocol, said Friday that the Duke’s body will rest at Windsor Castle, where he spent his final weeks with the Queen. His funeral takes place at St. George’s Chapel at the castle, which has been home to centuries of royal burials – and royal weddings, including the 2018 reunion of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan share poignant tribute to Prince Philip; More royals mourn him
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan shared a touching tribute to Prince Philip Friday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted a message on their Archewell website remembering Harry’s grandfather, in “fond memories” of the late King.
A brief tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, which the website sums up, reads: “Thank you for your service … you will be missed very much.”
Harry and Meghan’s tribute comes a month after hers Bomb interview with Oprah Winfreywhere they read up on their reasons for stepping down from royal duties and moving to America last year for more independence and privacy.
Their tribute was different from the social media posts of the rest of the royal family: after last year, the couple stopped using the Sussex Royal brand, including the Sussex royal social media account. Harry’s alarm about the damage from social media has increased in recent years after he and Meghan saw racist and intrusive coverage in the UK media.
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Featuring: Elise Brisco and Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
