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Mourners have again been warned to stay at home for Prince Philip’s funeral and could be fined because of Covid laws as it was revealed he will be laid to rest in a lead-lined English oak coffin made for him more than 30 years ago along with a matching casket for the Queen.
The Duke of Edinburgh will be borne to St George’s Chapel in Windsor in the back of his self-designed hearse, one of two ‘open top’ hybrid Land Rovers developed with the help of the Army.
Despite his eco-friendly and slightly eccentric arrival at church, Philip will be in a traditional English oak coffin made decades ago along with one for his wife the Queen.
It is usual for British royals to be laid to rest in lead-lined coffins because they keep out moisture and preserve the body for longer. Princess Diana’s was so heavily lined it weighed a quarter of a tonne.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral has been massively scaled back because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with only 30 guests allowed and all required to wear masks – including the Queen.
Nobody at royal undertakers Leverton & Sons in north London knows how old Philip’s coffin is, because they inherited the caskets of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh from JH Kenyon in 1991.
Director Andrew Leverton told The Times: ‘It is not something you can just make in a day, or a few hours. It was felt that it was important to have it available’. He added that English oak was now ‘very difficult to get hold of’, and most oak coffins were made from American wood.
John Story, mayor of Windsor and Maidenhead, described Saturday’s funeral as ‘a great honour’ for the royal borough but said: ‘It is a really serious message that everyone stays away’, adding: ‘There will be nothing to see’.
Mr Story also warned that large groups will be broken up but would not go into detail about what contingency plans are in place if people arrive, only to say: ‘The officers on the day will take whatever operational decisions which are required’.
He said: ‘It is a very difficult time for people and people have very strong feelings, but we have to ask everyone to put theirs and the health and safety of others at the top of their list of priorities and not come into Windsor. The whole of the funeral, including the ceremonial procession, is taking place inside the castle walls’. Philip described Windsor as his ‘home’ and Buckingham Palace as ‘the office’.
Philip will one day be buried with his wife in the memorial chapel in Frogmore Gardens, their coffins transferred and interred together when Her Majesty passes away.
Until then, from Saturday, he will be lowered into the Royal Vault and will remain there until the Queen dies with the lead helping preserve his body until then.
People look at flowers placed outside Windsor Castle as mourners were warned not to come during the funeral due to Covid
There have been warnings for almost a week and flowers and tributes are taken away but the mourners still come (pictured at Windsor today)
Signs are up in Windsor and outside Buckingham Palace warning people not to congregate with warnings that they could be punished if large groups arrive on Saturday
People stroll in groups along Long Walk to the gates of the castle where the Queen is staying and where her husband Philip died on Monday
Prince Philip will be laid to rest in a lead-lined coffin like the one made for Princess Diana when she died in 1997
A team of Army engineers are said to have been working on Land Rovers modified by Philip to be a hearse as soon as he was admitted to hospital two months ago. The Duke helped design two – one black and one green. Prince Phillip’s Land Rover Defender 130 Gun Bus pictured being driven around Sandringham in Norfolk by Princess Anne’s husband Timothy Laurence in 2020, and is likely to be a similar design to the hearse
Queen Elizabeth II wears a face mask during a ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior, on November 7 last year
Yesterday it was revealed that Army engineers rushed to prepare two modified hybrid Land Rovers Prince Philip had personally designed as ‘open top’ hearses for his funeral just hours after he was admitted to hospital in February.
A team from the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) were deployed from their base at MOD Lyneham, Wiltshire, when the Duke of Edinburgh went into the King Edward VII’s Hospital in Marylebone.
Once he fell ill two months ago Army mechanics replaced parts and ran safety checks on the vehicles – one black and one green – at an unnamed site where they have been kept in storage for several years, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The vehicles have never been seen in public but Philip, Colonel-in-Chief of REME, is believed to have designed the two vehicles personally, including an open roof for use in good weather. One MoD source told MailOnline that the vehicles are both likely to have been armour-plated.
It is not clear which one of the vehicles, believed to be hybrids, will be used on Saturday but claims that the eco-conscious duke will be carried in £900 wool coffin because they are sustainably made has been dismissed by palace sources.
Philip is believed to have worked with soldiers from REME to modify two Land Rover Defenders to carry his coffin ‘some time ago’, having famously told his wife the Queen: ‘Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and drive me to Windsor.’
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral has been massively scaled back because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A special Land Rover would have carried the Duke’s body 23-miles from Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner to St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Now it will only travel from the castle to the church, where only 30 guests are allowed.
Princes William and Harry and other senior members of the Royal Family will follow on foot as it driven to nearby St George’s Chapel before Saturday’s funeral. The Queen will not take part in the procession.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he will not be present to allow as many of Prince Philip’s family as possible to attend amid Covid-19 restrictions, which limit the number of guests to 30.
In a royal funeral like no other, the Queen and her family will wear face masks and maintain social distancing at the service, which will be televised live.
But a Buckingham Palace spokesman insisted that the send-off still reflects the personal wishes of Prince Philip who had meticulously planned his funeral.
The spokesman confirmed that it would not be a state occasion, which are normally reserved for sovereigns, but a ceremonial royal funeral in line with the Queen Mother’s in 2002.
‘This event will be much reduced in scale with no public access. In line with Government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the Duke’s funeral will take place entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle,’ he said.
A Bentley car is offloaded from a lorry outside Windsor Castle today, four days after Prince Philip died aged 99
A Bentley car is driven through the gates after being delivered by a lorry to Windsor Castle today
A flowers delivery van is seen outside Windsor Castle today, four days after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh
A box of flowers from Moonpig is delivered to Windsor Castle today following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh
‘The plans have been given final approval by the Queen and reflect appropriately Government advice. Despite these necessary changes, they still very much reflect the personal wishes of the Duke.
‘Although the ceremonial arrangements are reduced, the occasion will still celebrate and recognise the Duke’s life and his more than 70 years of service to the Queen, the UK and the Commonwealth.’
Buckingham Palace will release full details of the service and guest list on Thursday, when it is understood there will be a dress rehearsal.
The Duke currently lies at rest in the private chapel of Windsor Castle. His body will not lie in state – where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin.
On Saturday, the Duke’s coffin, accompanied by the Dean of Windsor and the Lord Chamberlain, will be moved to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle by a Bearer Party of The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The party will place the coffin in the Land Rover – believed to be a modified Defender 130 Gun Bus that was commissioned in 2005 – at 2.40pm.
Prince Philip is seen in a Land Rover talking to Queen in 2018, having already planned and designed the unusual hearse that would carry him, including an open top design
Prince Philip was Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), who are based at MOD Lyneham in Wiltshire (pictured), who have maintained the hybrid vehicles
Having spent most of his life breaking the royal mould, the Duke of Edinburgh will do so again one last time this Saturday when he takes his final journey on the back of a Land Rover he helped design as a hearse
A senior Palace official said: ‘The Duke of Edinburgh had a hand many years ago in the design of these vehicles’. He added that there were two Land Rovers for ‘belt and braces’.
On the grass in the Castle’s Quadrangle will be representative detachments drawn from Philip’s military special relationships. The Quadrangle will also be lined by the Household Cavalry and The Foot Guards.
At 2.45pm the Band of the Grenadier Guards, of which Philip was Colonel for 42 years, will lead the eight-minute procession to St George’s Chapel.
They will be followed by the Major General’s Party, and then the Service Chiefs, reflecting His Royal Highness’s close relationship with the military.
The Prince of Wales and other senior Royals will follow the Land Rover bearing the Duke’s coffin – draped in his personal standard, a wreath of flowers and his naval cap and sword – on foot.
Philips’ private secretary, Archie Miller Bakewell, one of his protection officers, two of his pages and two of his valets will bring up the rear of the procession.
Buckingham Palace announced that a ‘specially modified’ Land Rover Defender, which the Duke himself helped design, will carry his coffin on its final journey on Saturday (Picture of the type of vehicle it could be)
The Band of the Grenadier Guards, of which Philip was Colonel for 42 years, will lead the procession to St George’s Chapel, followed by the Major General’s Party, and then the Service Chiefs, reflecting His Royal Highness’s close relationship with the military
In a Royal funeral like no other, the eight-minute procession will begin at the state entrance of Windsor Castle, ending at nearby St George’s Chapel
Minute guns will be fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the east lawn of Windsor Castle for the duration of the procession, and the Curfew Tower Bell will toll.
The procession will end at nearby St George’s Chapel for the service, which will begin with a national minute’s silence at 3pm.
The no-frills service will be attended by just 30 members of the Royal Family – including the Duke’s children and grandchildren.
Prince Harry will fly from the Sussexes’ Californian mansion but Meghan, 39, who is heavily pregnant has been advised by her doctor not to travel to the UK.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and David Conner, the Dean of Windsor, are expected to officiate at the service.
After the service, the duke will be interred in the Royal Vault of the chapel.
Prince Philip’s final nod to Australia: How Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will pay tribute to the country he first visited as a teenager in the Royal Navy
Prince Philip first sailed into Sydney Harbour on March 14, 1940, as an 18-year-old on the British battleship HMS Ramillies. He is in the front row, second from the left.
An Australian representative will stand in front of St George’s Chapel for Prince Philip’s funeral as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s wish to recognise the country he first visited as a teenager in the Royal Navy.
Prince Philip, who died peacefully in his sleep aged 99 on Friday, will be farewelled at the 15th century chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
Australia’s Defence Advisor in the UK, Commodore Guy Holthouse will reportedly be positioned in front of the chapel as part of Prince Philip’s final homage to Australia.
Mr Holthouse met the Queen as recently as March 31 at an event marking the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Representatives of other Commonwealth nations including Canada, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago will also guard the chapel.
Prince Philip, who was due to turn 100 on June 10 this year, visited Australia on more than 20 occasions during his life.
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