The Canterbury Cathedral hosted a memorial service for Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 99 on Friday, the BBC reported on its website. The service was led by Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, who is to celebrate the prince’s funeral next Saturday in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The funeral will end the eight-day state mourning.
“It is a great loss. I think I would say that we have lost almost the grandfather of the nation,” Prince Andrew, the second-born son of the royal couple, told reporters after today’s service. He described his father as a “remarkable man”.
According to Andrew, the whole royal family gathered around his 94-year-old mother. He added that the queen bears the loss, which “left a great void in her life”, with dignity. During today’s service at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Justin Welby dedicated his prayer to all those who were “deeply wounded” by Prince Philip’s death. Similar church ceremonies were held across the country, according to Reuters.
Britain has entered an eight-day state mourning since Saturday, which will last until Saturday’s funeral. Today, at Windsor and other royal palaces, people laid flowers to honor the memory of the deceased.
Saturday’s funeral ceremony will take place without public participation, but will be broadcast live on television. The number of mourners will be limited to thirty due to the rules during the pandemic. The government office has already announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not come to give priority to the relatives of the deceased and to allow as many family members as possible to attend the final farewell.
Britain will commemorate the Duke of Edinburgh, as Philip’s official title read, with a nationwide minute of silence at 15:00 local time (16:00 CET), when the funeral service begins. The grave of the deceased Harry, who now lives in Los Angeles, is expected to attend the funeral. But his pregnant wife Meghan will not come on the advice of her doctor.
The British media are already speculating whether members of the royal family will use this opportunity to reconcile. For example, the German DPA wrote that it was uncertain whether the ice age would melt, according to the agency, after Harry and Meghan complained in a sensational television interview with Oprah Winfrey about the lack of consideration and even racist remarks in the family.
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