Dozens of royals from around the world, 700 charities and organisations, and a sea of loved ones and friends gathered at Prince Philip’s memorial service. The event, held at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday March 29, was a true celebration of the life and legacy of the late Duke of Edinburgh.
Queen Elizabeth II also made the hour-long trip from Windsor Castle to celebrate and remember her 73-year-old husband. After pandemic restrictions affected the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year, it was finally a chance for the monarch to honor his wife surrounded by loved ones and in the way she originally wanted.
Dressed in moss green and aided by a cane, the Queen made a discreet entrance to the service through a side door of the church, the famous Poets Corner, which allowed a shorter walk from her carriage to her seat. Controversially, she was escorted by Prince Andrew, marking the disgraced Duke of York’s first public appearance since his civil minor sexual assault case was settled in February.
Inside they were joined by other senior members of the royal family. Prince William and Duchess Kate, fresh from their royal tour of the Caribbean, have brought children Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a black and white polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich for the service, which she accessorized with a black hat by Lock & Co.
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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, sat in the same row as the Queen. Surrounding the couple were family members including Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Prince Philip’s other great-grandchildren, Savannah and Isla Phillips, and Mia Tindall, were also present.
More than 30 members of foreign royal families were also present, including the King and Queen of Belgium, the Queen of Denmark, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Prince Albert of Monaco, the King and Queen of the Netherlands, the King and Queen of Spain. , the King and Queen of Sweden, the Crown Prince of Bahrain and a dozen others.
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The 1,800-person congregation also included members and veterans of the military community, staff from Prince Philip’s charitable sponsorships and representatives from all major religious communities.
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The 45-minute ceremony – and its choice of hymns and readings – was meticulously chosen by Queen Elizabeth, who was “actively involved” in every detail of the plans, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. BAZAAR.com Monday evening.
And there were also sentimental touches. The orchids that featured in the monarch’s wedding bouquet in 1947 were included in the service’s floral arrangements, all designed in a patriotic display of red, white and blue. The prickly blue sea holly represented Philip’s naval career and his affection for the sea.
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A number of requests Prince Philip had made for his own funeral were also finally carried out today, although the famously humble Duke would likely not have relished the stories made about his achievements and accolades. Much of the service saw the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated for his “gifts of character, for his humor and his resilience, his courage and his devotion to duty”. The congregation also heard of his “service as husband, lifeline and member, and earthly worship to His Majesty”. Attendees also remembered her “energy and spirit of adventure” when it came to her work with young people to improve their life chances and to help the environment.
Doyin Sonibare, Gold Award winner from the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a youth awards program he founded in 1956, paid tribute to one of Philip’s most proud achievements. “So how did I get my first job at 18 with no work experience? It’s all about price, which actually refers to the golden word: opportunity,” she shared. “On reflection, I never thought I could do half of the things I’ve done in the last decade, but I was able to do it because of the opportunities that came my way.”
The Dean of Windsor also paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, telling the congregation: ‘Through his passionate commitment he drew others to him in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely with him, true love.”
He added: “Unlike most of us, he was one of those rare people who remained faithful and guided by what you might call an ‘inner spiritual compass’; a sense of being called to play a part in creating a world for God.
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