Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin at his funeral today. Separated by their cousin Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son, the brothers walked behind Prince Philip and the queen’s four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. None were wearing military uniforms, but all were wearing medals, a compromise reached after an internal debate in the royal family about the appropriate dress for Harry and Andrew.
The royal procession on foot followed Prince Philip’s coffin, which was carried on a green Land Rover which he helped design. The Duke of Edinburgh's casket was covered in his personal standard and carried his sword, naval cap and a wreath of flowers. His children and grandchildren watched as his coffin was carried by a group of Royal Marines into St George’s Chapel in Windsor for the funeral service itself.
The queen arrived separately with a lady-in-waiting in a Bentley. She will sit in the chapel, masked and alone for the duration of the service. The Daily Mail reported she was wiping away tears as she arrived.
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The royal family were pictured all masked inside the chapel, with its 30 mourners (a number in accordance with coronavirus protocols), all seated separately.
A spokesperson for Meghan Markle said she would be watching the ceremony from home in California, adding, “She was hopeful to be able to attend, but was not cleared for travel by her physician at this stage in her pregnancy.”
A wreath provided by Harry and Meghan and laid for The Duke of Edinburgh was designed and handmade by Willow Crossley, the same florist who took charge of the flowers at the couple’s wedding reception in Frogmore Gardens.
The wreath featured a variety of locally sourced flowers, with Harry and Meghan specifically requesting it include acanthus mollis (Bear’s breeches), the national flower of Greece, to represent the Duke’s heritage; and eryngium (sea holly), to represent the Royal Marines. The wreath also featured campanula to represent gratitude and everlasting love, rosemary to signify remembrance, lavender for devotion, and roses in honor of June being The Duke of Edinburgh’s birth month. The card accompanying the wreath was handwritten by The Duchess of Sussex.
