Her Majesty The Queen Has Had To Make Difficult Decisions Regarding Her Husband’s Funeral.
The day has come for His Royal Highness Prince Philip to rest in peace. However, People magazine reports that Her Majesty The Queen has had to make rather difficult decisions regarding her husband’s farewell. Moreover, with the UK dealing with COVID-19 restrictions, certain aspects of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral were altered.
One of these difficult decisions is who will be on the guest list as there can only be thirty mourners. So the Queen has had to pick who could say their final goodbye to her beloved husband. Meanwhile, the couple’s four children, eight grandchildren, and spouses will attend. However, there will be a few absences.
Amongst those is Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry. This also includes Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew and the mother of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Moreover, the Duchess of Sussex chose to remain in the US. Finally, the ex-Duchess of York would not have been invited, given the Duke of Edinburgh was not a fan of her.
Other absences include the nine great-grandchildren residing in the UK. It was decided early on that they would not attend the service. Also, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson chose not to attend to allow space for family and friends. Instead, he will watch the funeral elsewhere.
One aspect that had to be altered was where Princes William and Harry would be standing. Their cousin, Peter Phillips, will be standing between the quarrelling brothers. Withstanding, this is a smart move. To our knowledge, William and Harry have never walked together at a royal funeral.
Other Relatives Will Honour The Duke Of Edinburgh At A Different Time
Finally, a few of Prince Philip’s family will be attending outside the royal family. These include the Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the Queen’s cousin, Princess Alexandra. A thanksgiving service will later take place to accommodate those unable to attend the funeral. This will possibly include the great-grandchildren too, who are too young to participate in the farewell.
The thanksgiving service is also the perfect place for foreign royals to show their respects to the late consort. It is currently difficult to have them travel during the pandemic.
