Prince Philip burial holds Saturday

https://ift.tt/2PNUOU5

The funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died on Friday aged 99.

According to the BBC, the ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 3pm on Saturday, 17th April. The event will be televised.

Prince Philip is reported to have requested a funeral of minimal fuss and will not lie in state – where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin.

Instead, he will lie at rest in the private chapel at Windsor Castle until the day of the funeral.

The duke’s coffin is draped in his personal flag, his standard. The flag represents elements of his life, from his Greek heritage to his British titles. A wreath of flowers has also been placed on the coffin.

When the duke got engaged to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1946, he renounced his Greek title and became a British citizen, taking his mother’s anglicised name, Mountbatten.

The Mountbatten family is therefore also represented on the standard, alongside the castle from the arms of the City of Edinburgh – he became Duke of Edinburgh when he married.

The duke will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral.