We’re getting a better idea of what Prince Philip’s funeral will look like, and what people can expect from the Queen and the rest of the Windsor clan. First off, let me say – I really do feel sorry for Elizabeth. She fell in love with Philip when she was just a girl, and she was in love with him for the rest of her life. Of course they had issues, and of course I felt sorry for him simply because he could not live his last year on this earth at Wood Farm, which is where he wanted to be. But even with all of their issues, I expect her grief will be quite profound. Apparently, there’s a formal “eight-day period of mourning.”

The Queen is expected to enter an eight-day period of mourning following the death of Prince Philip today aged 99. The monarch will not carry out any duties even in private under Covid restrictions, laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused. Following these eight days, a further period of official Royal Mourning is expected to continue for 30 days.

Officials at Buckingham Palace are now preparing for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in keeping with Philip’s wishes, with a military procession also expected in London – Covid laws permitting. A coffin with the Duke of Edinburgh’s body is expected to be moved at some point over the next few days to Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace in London.

This is also where Princess Diana lay for several days before her funeral in 1997. The public will not be allowed to view the body.

The Duke of Edinburgh is expected to then be buried in Frogmore Gardens, in the grounds of Windsor Castle. Following the Duke’s death, Union flags will fly at half-mast around Britain, but Philip will not lie in state and there will be no state funeral. The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior officer of the royal household, will be in charge of arrangements.

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s my understanding that there won’t be a state funeral because he was not the monarch? I guess the Queen Mum got a state funeral, but she was Queen Consort. Philip was never King Consort because… reasons. Still, this is something the family and the institution has prepared for. The Queen’s funeral plans are called London Bridge, and Philip’s plans are referred to as Forth Bridge. There are binders full of funeral plans and protocols. For years, though, Philip wanted a smaller funeral, and that was before the pandemic.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red and WENN.