Prince Philip is to be laid to rest at the weekend, following his death last week at the age of 99.
The Duke Of Edinburgh died on Friday 9 April, and since then, his close family have been paying tribute, as have a number of key figures from the entertainment world, including the two actors who have portrayed him in the Netflix drama The Crown.
In the wake of his death, the BBC cleared its schedules across both BBC One and BBC Two, to run a series of mirrored special programmes about Prince Philip.
With his funeral set to take place this Saturday afternoon (17 April), the BBC has now announced plans for their coverage of the event. Here’s what we know so far about how to watch the ceremony…
When is it?
The funeral of Prince Philip has already been confirmed to be taking place on Saturday 17 April. The event will begin at around 2.40pm, when the Duke’s coffin will begin the journey from the private chapel at Windsor Castle.
The coffin will be draped with Prince Philip’s personal flag, with his naval cap, sword and a wreath of flowers also being placed on it. The funeral service will start at 3pm, beginning with a national minute of silence.
Where will it take place?
The funeral service will be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. If that venue rings a bell, that’s probably because it was the site of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding just a couple of years ago.
How will we be able to watch?
Prince Philip had requested that his funeral be a more low-key affair than the traditional send-off given to senior royals, meaning he won’t be lying in state prior to the service.
However, while it won’t be as elaborate a ceremony as many royals at his level would receive, the BBC will be dedicating much of the weekend’s schedule to the event.
On Friday night, BBC One will air HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Remembered live from Windsor Castle at 7pm, featuring interviews with people who will have key roles in the following day’s events.
BBC presenter Huw Edwards will lead the live coverage on Saturday, beginning at 12.30pm, more than two hours before the proceedings begin. Huw will be joined by fellow broadcaster Sophie Raworth and former Royal Marine (and Strictly Come Dancing star) JJ Chalmers over the course of the afternoon.
The funeral will also be broadcast across BBC radio on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday evening, Huw will also reflect on the day’s events in a special broadcast beginning at 8.10pm.
Meanwhile, ITV will be airing Prince Philip – A Royal Funeral, with Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham presenting live from Windsor.
Who will be in attendance?
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only 30 people are allowed to attend the service at St George’s Chapel. This will include several senior members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and, of course, the Queen.
It has also been revealed that Prince Harry will be flying over from the US to pay his respects to his grandfather. His wife Meghan Markle – who is currently pregnant with their daughter – will not be attending, with a royal spokesperson confirming she’d been advised not to travel by a doctor.
