What We Know About Prince Philip's Funeral: Burial Plans, COVID Restrictions
Arrangements for Philip's death — codenamed "Operation Forth Bridge" — have been in place for years
By Staff and Wire Reports ••
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Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, has died at the age of 99.
Prince Philip, who died Friday at age 99, will be laid to rest with all the honors due a prince of the United Kingdom and a consort to Queen Elizabeth II. But the coronavirus pandemic has required changes to the well-prepared plans for Philip’s passing.
Flags on government buildings and royal residences were lowered to half-mast and will remain there until 8 a.m. BST (3 a.m ET) on the day after his funeral.
His death was marked with 41-gun salutes at noon on Saturday at locations across the country, including the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle, as well as in Gibraltar and on Royal Navy ships at sea.
Britain’s political parties on Friday paused campaigning for next month’s local and Scottish elections, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson led political tributes. Lawmakers will return a day early from their Easter break so they can pay tribute to Philip in the House of Commons on Monday.
Given his age, the detailed plans for what should happen after Philip's death — codenamed "Operation Forth Bridge" — have been in place for years.
Philip’s body will not lie in state, a function both of the pandemic and his own “no fuss” attitude. Nor will it be a state funeral, in keeping with his wishes.
The College of Arms, the body that oversees ceremonial protocol, said Friday that the duke’s body will lie at rest in Windsor Castle, 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of London, where he spent his final weeks with the queen.
“This is in line with custom and with His Royal Highness’s wishes,” the college said.
When the Queen Mother Elizabeth — the last royal consort to pass on — died in 2002, her coffin lay in state at Parliament’s Westminster Hall, and thousands of people filed past to pay their last respects.
When and Where Will His Funeral Be?
His funeral will be held April 17 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, the site of centuries of royal burials — and royal weddings, including the 2018 union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
It will be entirely closed to the public.
Prince Philip of Greece, later Duke of Edinburgh, as a toddler in July 1922. Philip had settled in London as a child, after his uncle, then the King of Greece, was forced to abdicate.
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Romania’s King Michael, second left, with his mother, Princess Helene, enjoy a holiday at Mamaia, Romania, Sept. 8, 1928. From left to right; Princess Fedora of Greece, King Michael, Princess Helene, Princess Irene of Greece, Princess Marguerite of Greece, Prince Philip of Greece and Prince Paul of Greece.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
Prince Philip of Greece dressed for the Gordonstoun School’s production of ‘MacBeth’, in Scotland. Philip had left Greece to live with his grandmother, Victoria Mountbatten, at Kensington Palace at the age of 7.
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Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, saluting as he resumes his attendance at the Royal Naval Officers School at Kingsmoor, Hawthorn, England, July 31, 1947.
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The first image of the royal newly-weds, British Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in the grounds of Broadlands (the home of Earl Mountbatten, governer-general of India), at Ramsey, Hampshire, where they are spending their honeymoon, Nov. 23, 1947.
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Princess Elizabeth and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh leave Westminster Abbey, London, on Nov. 20, 1947, following their wedding service.
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Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wears the uniform of a field marshal as he talks with Pvt. S.P. Campbell of Sidney Mines, Nova Scotia, as he visits Canadian troops at the London-Edinburgh barracks at Hannover, Germany, March 18, 1953.
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Princess Elizabeth with her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and their children Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, wave at the crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace on June 2, 1953.
Donald McKague/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Prince Philip poses for a portrait at home in Buckingham Palace in December 1958 in London, England.
Donald McKague/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh pose for a portrait at home in Buckingham Palace in December 1958 in London, England.
PNA Rota/Getty Images
The Duke of Edinburgh disembarks from a Harvard Trainer aircraft after a flight, at RAF White Waltham, Berkshire, where he has been training for his ‘wings’.
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Sitting on rugs on the lawn, the British royal family poses for a picture during a holiday at Balmoral, Scotland in September, 1960.
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Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Prince Philip, in an open topped car as they leave an event, in Paris, on May 16, 1972.
AP Photo/Arturo Mari
Queen Elizabeth II, turns at smiles at her husband Prince Philip, during an audience with Pope John Paul II in his private study at the Vatican, Italy, Oct. 17, 1980.
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Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales, London, England, Sept. 6, 1997. This was one of Philip's more somber public appearances as the royal family and the world was hit by the shock of Princess Diana's passing.
AP Photo/Dave Caulkin
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, drives his carriage through Home Park in Windsor, May 13, 2004.
Fiona Hanson/AFP via Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh walk at Broadlands, Hampshire, Nov. 18, 2007. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are to mark their diamond wedding anniversary before jetting off to Malta to revive golden memories of their newlywed youth. Queen Elizabeth is known to cherish the time they spent on the Mediterranean island as a young couple, out of Britain and out of the spotlight in the years before she inherited the throne at 25 in 1952.
AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
Queen Elizabeth II, left, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, right, on the main balcony of Buckingham Palace, wave to the gathering crowds, as they attend the annual Trooping the Colour, in central London, June 13, 2009.
Carl Court/AFP via Getty Images
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II delivers the Queen’s Speech from the throne in the House of Lords next to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London on June 4, 2014. The State Opening of Parliament marks the formal start of the parliamentary year and the Queen’s Speech sets out the governments agenda for the coming session.
Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leave St Paul’s Cathedral in London on March 13, 2015, after attending a memorial service to mark the end of Britain’s combat operations in Afghanistan.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file
In this April 22, 2016, photo President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as they arrive on Marine One at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.
AP Photo/Tim Ireland
Queen Elizabeth II waves as she watches the flypast, with Prince Philip, right, Prince William, center, his son Prince George, front, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge holding Princess Charlotte, centre left, the Prince of Wales, third left, the Duchess of Cornwall, second left, and Princess Anne on the balcony during the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace, in London, June 11, 2016.
Alexi Lubomirski/Kensington Palace
Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, center, in Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, seen in their wedding finery on May 19, 2018. Others in photo from left, back row, Jasper Dyer, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Doria Ragland, Prince William; center row, Brian Mulroney, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Rylan Litt, John Mulroney; front row, Ivy Mulroney, Florence van Cutsem, Zalie Warren, Remi Litt.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during the transfer of the Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles at Windsor Castle on July 22, 2020, in Windsor, England. The Duke of Edinburgh has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles since its formation in 2007. HRH served as Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments which now make up The Rifles since 1953. The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed Royal Colonel of 4th Battalion The Rifles in 2007.
How Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Affect His Funeral Services and Tributes?
With Britain still in lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic means it will be a more low-key farewell than has marked many royal deaths. The pandemic has required changes to the well-prepared plans for Philip’s passing, code-named Operation Forth Bridge.
Palace officials said the ceremony would be conducted strictly in line with the British government's COVID-19 guidelines, which restrict the number of people attending funerals to 30. They declined to say whether the royal family would be required to wear masks.
Both the palace and the British government urged people not to gather or lay flowers outside the royal residences to honor him. The palace instead invited well-wishers to sign a book of condolences — but only online, to avoid crowds and queues.
Britain, which has Europe's highest toll in the pandemic at over 127,000 dead, is still under some lockdown restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Who Will Be Invited to Attend Prince Philip's Funeral?
As previously noted, funerals in the U.K. are capped at 30 or fewer attendees. That means, the list of invitees is likely going to be limited to immediate family and possibly heads of state from Commonwealth countries.
Prince Harry, Philip's grandson who stepped away from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service along with other members of the royal family. His wife, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, has been advised by her doctor not to attend.
Travelers from the U.S. must produce a negative COVID-19 test before they get on the plane and must self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival, but that quarantine can end early if a test after five days comes back negative.
