Here's How the Royal Family Will Observe Prince Philip's Death
Queen Elizabeth will now enter an eight-day mourning period as arrangements for Prince Philip's funeral are made.
As per tradition, the 94-year-old queen will not carry out any royal duties, and affairs of state will also be on hold while she grieves the death of her "beloved" husband of 73 years. After these eight days, the royal family will continue mourning his loss for 30 days, while the country is expected to enter a 10-day grieving period. Guardsmen will also wear black armbands on their tunics to symbolize this period of time.
At Prince Philip's request, he will have a royal ceremonial funeral, but not a full state funeral. which means his body will not be "lying-in-state." He will instead lie at Windsor Castle until his funeral takes place at St. George's Chapel, according to royal reporter Omid Scobie. Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the public has been "regretfully requested" not to attend.
UPDATE: In line with his wishes, Prince Philip will not receive a State Funeral and his body will not be Lying-in-State. Instead, the Duke will lie at Windsor Castle until his funeral in St George's Chapel. Due to pandemic, public have been “regretfully requested” not to attend. pic.twitter.com/gq2Ah1B2mz
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) April 9, 2021
The Palace announced the Duke's passing Friday (April 9) morning with a statement shared to their website and social media pages.
"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the statement read. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."
The royals are also honoring Prince Philip with their social media avatar photos. The Royal Family Instagram account, as well as Kensington Royal (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) and Clarence House (Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles) all replaced their profile pictures with black-and-white crests in tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh. All three accounts also posted the black-and-white photo of Prince Philip in accompaniment with the statement from the palace.
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip met back when she was 13 years old, and he an 18-year-old cadet in training at the Royal Navy College. It was practically love at first sight, as the queen's nanny wrote in her book that "she never took her eyes off him." The two wed in 1947.
The royal is survived by his four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He has eight grandchildren: Prince William, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.
