The Buckingham Palace is all set for Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral, which will strictly entertain only 30 of his closest loved ones. The event— slated to be held at St George’s Chapel, at 3 p.m., on Saturday April 17— has evoked the intrigue of millions world over, given the nature of its peculiarity in multiple ways.

Firstly, the funeral will see Prince William and Prince Harry united in grief—roughly two years after they last spoke with each other. Harry, who has flown down to the UK without his wife Meghan Markle, will be in attendance most likely wearing a suit and not his military uniform. "The Duke of Sussex is planning to attend. The Duchess of Sussex has been advised by her physician not to travel. So the duke will be attending," Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The brothers, who haven’t been able to see eye to eye, given the circumstances that unfolded in the recent past, will walk alongside each other at their grandfather’s procession, as cited on Page Six. "There is hope under an occasion such as this, where the brothers are united in grief, that a corner may be turned," said a royal source, as per the outlet.

Incisive details pertaining to the guestlist and funeral service will be shared ahead of the ceremony, which will be carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Dean of Windsor David Conner.

Credible sources have suggested that due arrangements have been made in order to conduct the funeral as per the deceased Duke of Edinburgh’s wishes. His coffin will reportedly be ferried from the State Entrance of the Castle to the West Steps of the Chapel on a specially modified Land Rover he helped design himself.

Prince Philip was innately passionate about design and engineering all through his life and reportedly played a part in commissioning two of the vehicles a few years ago. One of them will be used during his final procession, while the other is being kept as a back-up in case of last-minute glitches. At the end of the ceremony, the Duke’s coffin will be buried in the Royal Vault beneath the Chapel.

Hello! reported that the coffin, draped in the Duke’s personal standard and with flowers, his Naval Cap and sword placed on top, will be carried from the State Entrance to the Land Rover by pallbearers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at 2.40 pm.

The Royal family has urged the public to refrain from visiting any of the royal residences and paying their respects in person, given the global health crisis.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "While there is sadness that the public will not to be able to physically be part of events to commemorate the life of The Duke, the Royal Family ask that anyone wishing to express their condolences do so in the safest way possible and not by visiting Windsor or any other Royal Palaces to pay their respects."

Representatives from the regiments associated with the Duke will be permitted to “pay compliments” from the Castle’s quadrangle at the time of the departure of the coffin from the State Entrance.

The funeral is scheduled to be broadcast on television globally. In addition to the eight days of National Mourning announced by the British government, that started on Friday, the Queen has permitted a two-week period of royal mourning for members of her family during which the members are expected to wear black or uniform with mourning bands. A protocol has been laid out in place to carry out engagements deemed appropriate at the moment.

Prince Philip
Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in his role as Captain General, Royal Marines, attends a Parade to mark the finale of the 1664 Global Challenge on the Buckingham Palace Forecourt in central London on August 2, 2017. YUI MOK/AFP/Getty Images

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