Led by the Dean of Windsor, a coffin processes slowly through St George’s Chapel with a grieving son and daughter walking immediately behind; a small congregation, led by the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, watch from their seats in the Quire.
That was the scene at Windsor Castle more than half a century back. And the dutiful son that day was Prince Philip.
Much has been made of the fact the Duke of Edinburgh planned every last detail of Saturday’s funeral – as he most certainly did. But he had been there before. On December 10, 1969, he came to say farewell to his mother, Princess Andrew of Greece, with his elder sister, Princess Margarita, at his side.
All the music from Prince Philip s funeral, including two pieces written at his request
Many of the hymns and songs played during the procession and service were chosen by Prince Philip himself
18 April 2021 • 7:23pm
The coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh is carried into his funeral service at St George s Chapel at Windsor Castle
Credit: Danny Lawson
With the congregation barred from singing during Prince Philip’s funeral due to coronavirus restrictions, a four-strong, socially distanced choir performed the music inside St George’s Chapel.
The quartet of singers – Tom Liliburn, Nick Madden and Simon Whiteley (who are lay clerks of St George s Chapel choir) and Miriam Allan (a soprano) – all live in nearby Horseshoe Cloister, forming part of what was an intimate and community-focused affair.
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In the back of the State Bentley with the Queen was her lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, 82. She has worked for Her Majesty since 1960 when she became Woman of the Bed Chamber. She was married to Marmaduke Hussey, the longest-serving chairman of the BBC, who died in 2006. She is also the sister of former Tory Minister William Waldegrave.
One of the pall bearers was Lieutenant General Sir James Hockenhull, 56. He has served in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. With more than 33 years of professional intelligence experience, he has worked with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Cyber and Intelligence.
Philip’s personal standard, draped over his coffin, is split into quarters to represent different elements of his life: three lions and nine hearts, taken from the Danish coat of arms; a white cross on a blue background taken from Greece’s national flag; black and white stripes representing the Mountbatten family and Edinburgh Castle.
Just four voices filled St George s Chapel yesterday with music carefully chosen by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Three lay clerks of St George s Chapel Choir – singers who are not members of the clergy – were joined by classical soprano Miriam Allan to perform the programme, which included the seafaring hymn Eternal Father, Strong To Save.
Australian-born Ms Allan has appeared as a soloist with orchestras all over the world and is married to another of the Chapel s lay clerks, Richard Bannan.
Her husband is in no doubt about where the family s talents lie, saying in 2018: It s humbling. Things many of us find difficult to do, she can do without blinking.