The 30 people attending Prince Philip’s funeral

The 30 people attending Prince Philip’s funeral

The Duke of Edinburgh’s four children will walk alongside his coffin

at his funeral on Saturday. Princes Charles, Andrew, Edward and

Princess Anne, as well as grandsons Princes William and Harry, will walk

alongside a modified Land Rover hearse to St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The guest list for the service includes 30 people, with three German relatives.

Those attending will be in morning coats with medals, or day dress, but not

wear military uniform. The congregation will put on masks and socially

distance in line with Covid lockdown rules, with the Queen seated alone.

The details of Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral at the chapel in the

grounds of Windsor Castle at 15:00 BST were released by Buckingham Palace.

A Palace spokesman said the plans have been modified to take into account

current public health guidelines, but the ceremonial aspects of the day and

the service remain in line with the duke’s wishes.

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He said the service will be a reflection of Prince Philip’s military affiliations

and personal elements of his life. The other guests include the Duchess of

Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, all of the duke’s grandchildren and

their spouses, the children of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret, and Bernhard,

the Hereditary Prince of Baden; Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse; and

Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

The Countess Mountbatten of Burma, previously known as Lady Romsey and

later Lady Brabourne, who was Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of

his closest friends will also be in attendance.

The 67-year-old countess is the wife of Earl Mountbatten, Norton Knatchbull

the grandson of Prince Philip’s beloved uncle the 1st Earl Mountbatten,

who was killed by the IRA in 1979. Buckingham Palace said the Queen

faced “some very difficult” decisions in selecting the guests permitted

under Covid rules, from plans for a 800-strong congregation, adding

she wanted all branches of the duke’s family to be represented.

By Daniela Relph, royal correspondent This is the funeral

the Duke of Edinburgh wanted for himself. The guests, the music,

the military representation are exactly what the duke

requested for his own farewell. The one element he perhaps didn’t account

for was the family tension. The Queen has decided that there will be no

military uniforms worn by members of the Royal Family on Saturday.

This neatly avoids the Prince Harry and Prince Andrew problem.

Both have stepped back from their military patronages and the issue

of them wearing uniform was a dilemma that has now gone away.

The order of the funeral procession has revealed that the duke’s grandsons,

Prince William and Prince Harry, will not walk alongside one another.

Instead, their cousin Peter Philips will walk between them.

Buckingham Palace won’t comment on this decision. Responding to

questions from reporters, a spokesman said they would not be drawn

into discussing “perceptions of drama”.

Of the tributes paid to Prince Philip over recent days, Buckingham Palace

said the Queen and the family had been touched at the testimony around

“the remarkable life and lasting endeavours of the Duke of Edinburgh”.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, died at Windsor Castle on

Friday 9 April aged 99. His body is now resting in the private chapel

at Windsor Castle.

On the day of the funeral, the coffin will be moved from the private chapel

to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle. It will be placed on the

modified Jaguar Land Rover, that the duke himself helped design,

to be carried the short distance to St George’s Chapel.

The procession to the chapel will be headed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards,

followed by the Household Division and military service chiefs.

The nine members of the Royal Family will come next, walking on foot in a

line behind the hearse. And they will be trailed by the Duke’s household staff.

The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex will not walk alongside each

other as they will be separated by their cousin Peter Philips.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Earl of Snowdon will also join

the other family members on foot.

The Queen will travel with a lady-in-waiting in the state Bentley at the

end of the procession, and enter the chapel by a side door.

The duke’s association with the Royal Navy will be reflected at the service,

with buglers of the Royal Marines sounding Action Stations

a signal that all hands should be ready for battle – during the service.

A reduced choir of four singers will feature but the congregation will

follow Covid rules and not sing. The full order of service, which will be

conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor,

will be released on Friday evening.