Sunday 08 / June / 2025
Mourners gathered to remember Prince Philip at a funeral on Saturday inside the Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel where he was laid to rest.
Instead of the initial plans for 800 mourners, just 30 people will attend the ceremony, due to coronavirus restrictions. Those attending include the widowed queen, her four children and eight grandchildren.
"This service had to be hastily scaled back in order to remain in line with COVID restrictions here in the UK," said DW correspondent Charlotte Chelsom-Pill.
"The public is being asked to stay away from Windsor Castle and all royal residences."
To deter crowds from gathering during the pandemic, the entire procession and funeral will take place within the grounds of the castle, a 950-year-old royal residence about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of London, and will be broadcast on television.
However, people were still expected to turn out at Windsor, prompting barriers to be put up along the Long Walk to the castle gates, patrolled by uniformed and armed police.
A man of 'courage, fortitude and faith'
Philip will be remembered as a man of "courage, fortitude and faith" at the funeral, which will salute both his service in the Royal Navy and his support for Queen Elizabeth II.
Philip, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, will be buried in the Royal Vault at Windsorfollowing the ceremony.
The prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh and described by royals as the "grandfather of the nation," died just weeks after being hospitalized for treatment of a heart condition.
Ahead of the funeral, Buckingham Palace released a photo of the queen and Philip, smiling together on blankets in the grass in the Scottish Highlands in 2003. The palace said the photo was a favorite of the queen.
Philip's death, which came after 73 years of marriage, has left a "huge void" in the queen's life, the couple's second son, Prince Andrew, said last weekend.
At the service, the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, was set to pay tribute to Philip's "unwavering loyalty" to his wife, who turns 95 next week, the country and the Commonwealth.
A minute's silence will be observed across the country at 3:00 pm (14:00 GMT/UTC), before the funeral service begins.
Supporters of the royal family also took to social media to express their condolences.
"Thanks for your loyalty to the Queen, & keeping us all entertained over many years. Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh," one user posted.
When Queen Elizabeth II dies, Philip's body will be transferred to lie alongside her in the King George VI memorial chapel, which houses the remains of her father, George VI, her mother and the ashes of her younger sister, Princess Margaret.
