WINDSOR, England (AP): Prince Philip's coffin has been moved from the royal family's private chapel at Windsor Castle to the castle's Inner Hall ahead of his funeral Saturday (April 17) afternoon.
Royal officials say the coffin is draped in Philip's personal standard, and topped with his Royal Navy cap and sword and a wreath of flowers.
It was moved by a party of bearers from the Grenadier Guards army regiment and will lie in the hall until the funeral procession begins just before 3pm (10pm Malaysia).
The coffin will be transported on a specially designed Land Rover to St. George's Chapel, where Philip will be laid to rest in the Royal Vault.
Because of coronavirus restrictions, only 30 mourners will attend the funeral service, including Queen Elizabeth II, her four children and her eight grandchildren. Philip died on April 9 at age 99.
The royal family has also released a montage of images in memory of Prince Philip, set to a poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.
"Patriarchs – An Elegy" remembers Philip as a member of a generation who "fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes" – references to his wartime naval service.
Armitage, whose job is to write poems for significant national occasions, salutes those "husbands to duty ... Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case in a family heirloom of nesting dolls."
The royal family released a recording of Armitage reading the poem, accompanied by pictures of Prince Philip through the decades, form infancy to old age, ahead of his funeral at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
Philip died on April 9 at age 99. – AP
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
