Prince Philip Funeral Set, Will Harry and Meghan Be In Attendance?

The longest-serving consort of a British monarch passed away on Friday, April 9. Buckingham Palace announced the death of 99-year-old Prince Philip who would have turned 100 in two months. Instead of a centenary birthday celebration, the royal household is left preparing for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. While the final details of the funeral are yet to be known, some details have been shared.

Funeral plans of the ailing Duke were already in place and was code-named Forth Bridge. However, due to the pandemic organizers had to change the plans to suit the lockdown regulations. The United Kingdom has lost over 150,000 lives to COVID-19 and funeral restrictions prevented families from mourning their loss conventionally. The Royal funeral too will be modified keeping the restrictions in mind.

Philip never wanted a state funeral and lying-in-state for public viewing, BBC reported. His ceremonial funeral, the date of which has not been announced, is to take place at St George's Chapel. He will be put to rest at Windsor Castle, it is expected.

The College of Arms, which plays a role in organizing state occasions, shared the rules for flying flags during the eight-day state mourning. All national flags are to fly at half-mast till 8:00 am local time the day after the funeral.

In order to prevent crowds from gathering for the funeral, members of the public have been asked to not attend or participate in the events. While crowds continued to gather at Royal Residences to pay their tribute, the Royal Household has asked members of the public to refrain from doing so. People have been requested to make donations to charities instead of leaving flower tributed, NBC reported. An online book of condolences has also been opened for the mourners.

Since the explosive interview with Oprah, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been a sore spot for the royal family. Having left the UK over a year ago it is unclear if the couple will be joining the family in mourning. People reported that Harry may be in attendance, but it is unlikely that Meghan will be joining her husband as she is in the later stages of her pregnancy.

If Harry does fly to the UK from the United States he will be subjected to a 10-day quarantine. Harry and Meghan were the first members of the royal family to pay tribute to Philip, through the website of their charitable foundation, Archewell.

Harry had often been seen sharing smiles with his grandfather. Since the death of Princess Diana, Philip had been a strong presence in the lives of both Harry and Prince William.