Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday bid farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip, at a royal funeral like no different, restricted by coronavirus guidelines however reflecting his lengthy lifetime of army and public service.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9 at age 99, was interred within the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after a 50-minute service attended by simply 30 visitors.

The Queen, 94, seen for the primary time since his demise, minimize a lone determine, sat in mourning black, with a white-trimmed, black face masks. Shut household, additionally masked, sat socially distanced within the historic Fifteenth-century Gothic chapel.

Philip — described by royals as “the grandfather of the nation” — was Britain’s longest-serving royal consort and was married to the Queen for 73 years.

He was an virtually fixed presence at her aspect throughout her record-breaking reign that started in 1952 as Britain rebuilt from World War II, and as its international empire started to unravel.

His demise, which the household mentioned had left a “enormous void” within the Queen’s life, has robbed of her of the person she known as her “power and keep” and closes a exceptional chapter for Britain’s most well-known household, and within the nation’s historical past.

The final high-profile funeral of a senior royal was for the Queen’s mom, who died in 2002, aged 101.

However in contrast to then, when multiple million folks thronged outdoors Westminster Abbey in central London to look at the sombre pageant, the general public was noticeably absent from Saturday’s ceremony.

The coronavirus pandemic pressured hasty revisions to the well-rehearsed plans for the duke’s demise, code-named “Operation Forth Bridge”, stripping again public components to forestall massive crowds from gathering.

Authorities pointers restricted the variety of mourners and a quartet carried out hymns the duke selected himself in a barren nave stripped of seating.


Mark of respect

The intimate, ceremonial funeral from behind the stately fortress partitions was broadcast reside on tv to thousands and thousands throughout Britain and the world.

A army gun was fired to sign a minute’s silence when his coffin arrived on the chapel on a bespoke Land Rover he designed himself.

The coffin was draped in his customary and topped by a wreath of white roses and lilies from the Queen in addition to his naval cap and ceremonial sword.

Throughout Britain — on the streets, in retailers, railway stations and at sporting occasions — folks bowed their heads with respect. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wearing black, noticed the silence at his nation retreat, Chequers.

Flights in an out of close by Heathrow Airport had been stopped during the ceremony.

Ieuan Jones, 37, travelled to Windsor from his dwelling within the Welsh capital, Cardiff, and known as Philip “a robust man, a real hero (who) did a lot for this nation and the royal household”.

“It is actually a disgrace that due to the pandemic we won’t pay a wider tribute to the distinctive man he was,” he instructed AFP.

Regardless of the restrictions, the stripped-down sendoff for the previous Royal Navy commander nonetheless mixed centuries of royal protocol with pomp, pageantry — and army precision.

Members of the British armed forces, in formal gown, lined the procession route, heads bowed, because the cortege handed, as a minute gun rang out throughout the grounds and a bell tolled.

Philip’s grandsons William, 38, and Harry, 36, joined the procession, of their first public assembly since a reported falling out about Harry’s shock transfer to California, and his stinging criticism of royal life, together with racism within the household.


Final Submit

The pair, who as younger boys walked behind the coffin of their mom, princess Diana, in 1997, had been separated by their cousin, Anne’s son Peter Phillips, 43.

They had been later seen chatting as they left the chapel with William’s spouse, Kate.

The non secular service was a easy affair, reflecting the desires of the straight-talking duke, who was identified for his aversion to “fuss”.

In line with his needs, there was no sermon, however the service mirrored his love of the ocean, and lengthy affiliation with the Royal Navy, together with hymns and Bible readings.

The Dean of Windsor, David Conner, paid tribute to his “kindness, humour and humanity”, and devotion to the Queen, who turns 95 subsequent week and is within the twilight of her reign.

The Queen, who had been escorted to the chapel by a lady-in-waiting within the royal Bentley, watched from the chapel choir as her husband’s was lowered steadily into the Royal Vault by electrical motor.

The Pipe Main of the Royal Regiment of Scotland performed a lament, and buglers of the Royal Marines sounded The Final Submit.

When the Queen dies, he can be transferred to lie alongside her within the King George VI memorial chapel, which homes the stays of her father, George VI, her mom, additionally known as Elizabeth, and the ashes of her youthful sister, Margaret.


Lasting legacy

The hanging picture of the Queen sat alone along with her ideas dominated each British entrance web page on Sunday.

The Star on Sunday ran with the headline “Bless her”, including “our Queen, actually alone for the primary time in 73 years”, whereas the Impartial’s cowl learn “Alone in grief, the Queen says goodbye”.

The Sunday Specific entrance web page insisted “You are not alone Ma’am”, saying that the nation shared in her grief.

The funeral got here after eight days of public mourning for the duke, which has seen the Union Jack flown at half-mast, and a digital halt in official authorities enterprise.

It has additionally introduced renewed concentrate on the central place of the royals in British life and tradition, with the ageing Queen and Prince Philip symbolic of one other age.

At Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s central London dwelling, Cardiff-born chef Santosh Singh laid purple tulips to mark the tip of an period.

“I like the royals. I believe they’re wonderful… It is unhappy as a result of in time, all this may change,” the 57-year-old mentioned.

Pollsters YouGov in March discovered that whereas 63 p.c of the general public supported the monarchy, solely 37 p.c of these aged 18-24 wished it to proceed.

But Prince Philip’s demise commanded a flood of tributes from throughout Britain and world wide, together with from the distant Pacific island of Vanuatu, the place he’s revered as a god.

One in all his lasting legacies would be the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) scheme for younger folks, which was arrange in 1956 and now operates in additional than 140 international locations worldwide.

Some 6.7 million younger folks within the UK have taken half. His youngest son, Edward, Earl of Wessex, has assumed a higher function within the organisation, of which he’s a trustee.

He’ll turn out to be Duke of Edinburgh when the Queen dies.