Prince Philip's funeral: A ceremonial funeral but no lying-in-state

The Duke of Edinburgh will not have a state funeral and there will be no lying-in-state, in line with his wishes, the College of Arms has said.

The college said Prince Philip will lie at rest in Windsor Castle before a royal ceremonial funeral at St George's Chapel.

The public are "regretfully" requested not to attend due to the pandemic.

It is understood the Queen is considering modified funeral and ceremonial arrangements.

Flags will fly at half-mast on government buildings from now until 08:00 BST on the day after the funeral. Details of the funeral are expected to be announced by Buckingham Palace.

The honour of a lying-in-state was bestowed upon the last three sovereign's consorts, including the Queen Mother in 2002, when an estimated 200,000 people queued to pay their respects over more than three days at Westminster Hall in central London

But the College of Arms, which helps to organise state occasions, said the plans for the duke's funeral were "in line with custom and with His Royal Highness's wishes".

An aide once said Prince Philip "doesn't see himself as important enough" for a state funeral. Such occasions are usually reserved for the death of a monarch.

A royal ceremonial funeral means his death will be marked in the same way as the Queen Mother, while Diana, Princess of Wales was also given a form of ceremonial royal funeral despite no longer having the title of Her Royal Highness.

Royal ceremonial funerals are also held for the heir to the throne and for members of the royal family who hold high military rank.

On rare occasions, by order of the monarch and following a vote in Parliament to approve the funds, state funerals have been held for people other than the sovereign, including for naval hero Lord Nelson and wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

But the differences between a state funeral and royal ceremonial funeral come down to subtle matters of protocol, and both can include military procession and a lying-in-state - although the duke will not.

Under earlier arrangements for the days after the duke's death, codenamed Forth Bridge, thousands of people would have been expected to gather in London and Windsor, with some even camping out to get a vantage point to watch the military procession.

Hundreds of members of the armed forces would also have lined the streets in honour of the duke, alongside thousands of police officers to keep control of the crowds.

But since the pandemic began, organisers have been working on contingency plans which would avoid attracting mass gatherings in the event that the duke died while the coronavirus crisis continued.

The Queen is now said to be considering changes to the funeral and ceremonial plans, in the light of the current government advice and social distancing guidelines.

Under current rules in England, only 30 people are able to attend funerals.