THE Duke of Edinburgh’s life and legacy were yesterday remembered during a funeral service reflecting his naval career, passion for engineering and dedication to the Queen.
Prince Philip was described as enriching the lives of all those he knew with his “kindness, humour and humanity”. His funeral got under way with a ceremonial procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The Duke of Rothesay, Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex were among the family members walking behind Philip’s coffin carried by a Land Rover Defender hearse, which he had himself helped design.
They were joined by the duke’s grandsons the Prince Harry, the Earl of Strathearn and Peter Phillips and Vice Admiral Tim Lawrence, the Princess Royal’s husband, and the Queen’s nephew the Earl of Snowdon. In St George’s Chapel, the Queen was seated alone in line with coronavirus regulations and apart from her children.
Her husband’s love of the sea and long association with the Royal Navy were referenced throughout the service, with a reduced choir of four singing the hymn Eternal Father, Strong To Save – traditionally associated with seafarers and the maritime armed services.
The duke’s coffin was lowered into the royal vault as his titles were read out. It was draped with his personal standard and alongside the wreath was his Admiral of the Fleet Naval cap and sword.
A lament was played by a Pipe Major from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Last Post was sounded by buglers from the Royal Marines.
Philip served as Captain General of the Royal Marines for more than six decades and at the end of the service the buglers sounded Action Stations. The short piece is played on a warship to signal all hands should go to battle stations and is sometimes featured at funerals of naval men.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was among the many across the country to mark a silence at 3pm for Philip’s funeral, marked by a gun salute at Edinburgh Castle.
After the funeral, she said: “On behalf of the people of Scotland, I once again express my deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and members of the royal family. The many tributes paid to the Duke of Edinburgh in recent days have shown the depth of his contribution to public life over more than 70 years as well as his long-standing ties to Scotland.
“Many have reflected on his distinguished wartime record, his commitment to countless charities and organisations, and his love and support for the Queen throughout their marriage.
“Today, as the Queen and the royal family mourn the death of a loved one, we take this opportunity to celebrate and honour an extraordinary life.”
Philip’s death has come at a time of upheaval for the royal family with the Harry and his wife Meghan Mrkle making accusations of racism and a lack of support against their family in their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here