Prince William and Prince Harry received’t stroll side-by-side Saturday as they observe their grandfather’s coffin into the church forward of Prince Philip’s funeral, minimizing the possibilities of any awkward moments between the brothers who’re grappling with strained relations since Harry’s resolution to step away from royal duties final yr.
Buckingham Palace on Thursday launched the broad outlines of the funeral program for Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died April 9 at 99. The palace revealed that William and Harry’s cousin, Peter Phillips, will stroll between the princes as they escort the coffin to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Fort, west of London.
Prince Charles, the inheritor to the throne and the daddy of the princes, collectively together with his sister, Princess Anne, will lead the 15-member procession.
The brothers had been carefully watched as Saturday’s funeral will virtually actually remind the pair of their shared grief at one other royal funeral greater than twenty years in the past. As younger boys, each walked behind their mom Princess Diana’s coffin in 1997 in London in a ceremony watched around the globe.
Palace officers refused to remark when requested whether or not the positioning of William and Harry was an effort to reduce household tensions, which have grown after Harry and his spouse Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey that prompt an unnamed member of the royal household had made a racist remark to Harry earlier than the start of their youngster Archie.
Meghan, who’s pregnant and dwelling in California with Harry, will not be coming to the funeral on the recommendation of her physician.
“We’re not going to be drawn into these perceptions of drama or something like that,’’ a palace spokesman stated whereas talking on situation of anonymity in step with coverage. “It is a funeral and the preparations have been agreed and so they characterize Her Majesty’s needs.”
In one other effort to protect household unity, the palace stated senior royals would put on civilian garments to the funeral. The choice, signed off by the queen, implies that Harry received’t threat being the one member of the royal household not in uniform in the course of the funeral.
Members of the royal household usually put on uniforms to public occasions by advantage of their honorary roles with the British Military, Royal Navy and Royal Air Drive, however Harry misplaced his honorary army titles when he determined to surrender frontline royal duties final yr. Consequently, protocol means that Harry, a military veteran who served two excursions of obligation in Afghanistan, would solely put on a go well with with medals at royal capabilities.
The choice additionally sidesteps one other potential controversy after experiences that Prince Andrew, the queen’s second-oldest son, thought of sporting an admiral’s uniform to his father’s funeral. Andrew retains his army titles though he was compelled to step away from royal duties after a disastrous interview with the BBC about his acquaintance with convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Attendance on the funeral will probably be restricted to 30 individuals due to the coronavirus restrictions in England. The checklist will embody a number of of Philip’s kinfolk from Germany, along with instant members of the royal household. The youngsters within the household won’t attend.
Visitors will put on masks contained in the chapel and observe social distancing. The queen, at all times the primary to set an instance, can even put on a masks.
In different particulars launched concerning the funeral, Royal Marine buglers will play “Motion Stations,” an alarm that alerts sailors to organize for battle.
Philip, often known as the Duke of Edinburgh, served within the Royal Navy for 12 years and maintained shut ties to the armed forces all through his life. Army personnel could have a big function in honoring him Saturday regardless of the attendance restrict.
Members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Drive and the British Military will participate within the funeral procession. Philip’s coffin will probably be carried to St. George’s Chapel on a specifically tailored Land Rover that he designed himself.