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Prince Philip laid to rest during private family service at Windsor Castle

Prince Philip laid to rest during private family service at Windsor Castle

Estranged brothers Prince Harry and Prince William walked behind Prince Philip's coffin during the procession for their grandfather's funeral in Windsor, England on Saturday.

The siblings were separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips, as they took part in the solemn procession to St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The late Duke of Edinburgh's children, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Princess Anne, joined them a little over a month after Harry and his pregnant wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - who did not make the trip from California for the funeral - skewered the British royal family in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Meghan, who suggested members of the royal family were racist in the TV chat, watched the proceedings from home after doctors advised her not to travel.

The royal procession was led by a specially modified Land Rover - Philip's longtime favourite mode of transport.

Andrew's daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, were also spotted entering Saint George's Chapel for the funeral. The sisters and their husbands, Jack Brooksbank and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Prince William's wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, were among 30 guests who attended the private service, led by the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The restrictions were made due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns. All members of the royal family, who reside in different households, were seated in socially distanced areas of the chapel.

The most stirring images were those of Queen Elizabeth II sitting by herself in the chapel, wearing all black and a black facemask, during the funeral. She arrived at the service in her state Bentley as military bands gathered on the lawn outside played God Save the Queen, just before a moment of silence as a group of Royal Marines prepared to take her husband's coffin into the chapel.

William and his brother Harry were separated during the service, sitting on opposite sides of the church. Harry made it clear that he and his father, Prince Charles, and brother are not currently on speaking terms following his decision to step down as a working member of the royal family and move to California. But reports suggest the siblings were cordial and friendly when they did speak briefly.

Philip died on 9 April, two months shy of his 100th birthday. His coffin, which was carried to the chapel on the back of the Land Rover he helped design, was topped by a floral display, picked by The Queen, and the Duke's naval cap.

Philip's remains were buried in an opening in the stone floor of the Royal Vault on the Windsor Castle grounds. His final resting place will be in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, alongside The Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, as well as the remains of The Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.

Prior to the funeral, the members of the royal family released a video montage of Philip's life, set to a poem, titled The Patriarchs - An Elegy, by Simon Armitage, the poet laureate of the United Kingdom.

© Cover Media

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