The Funeral of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh


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The Russian Kontakion for the Departed was exquisite.

I've been to Russian funeral services and heard it before, but never as hauntingly beautiful as today at St. George's Chapel.
 
Catholics genuflect to the altar only when the Blessed Sacrament is kept behind it. I don't know what the Anglican custom is.

It is the same - but it not a widely carried tradition anymore. At least in my church.
 
The hauntingly beautiful Russian Kontakion for the Departed was perfect at the end.
 
I noticed at the end when they were walking back up to the Castle, Anne stopped and waited for Zara & Mike before carrying on.I thought that was really touching especially from Anne who we usually associate with being tough as old boots.
 
Some nice reports coming out about the wreaths - there was one from Queen Margrethe (from "Daisy"), and others from Queen Beatrix, King Wilhelm and Queen Maxima, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, King Harald and Queen Sonia, and the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
 


The Patriarchs – An Elegy

A poem by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, to mark the passing of The Duke of Edinburgh.

The weather in the window this morning

is snow, unseasonal singular flakes,

a slow winter’s final shiver. On such an occasion

to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up

for a whole generation - that crew whose survival

was always the stuff of minor miracle,

who came ashore in orange-crate coracles,

fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea

with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.



Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans

across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets,

regrouped at breakfast. What their secrets were

was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business.

Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became

both inner core and outer case

in a family heirloom of nesting dolls.

Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand

in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders.



They were sons of a zodiac out of sync

with the solar year, but turned their minds

to the day’s big science and heavy questions.

To study their hands at rest was to picture maps

showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes

of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions.

Last of the great avuncular magicians

they kept their best tricks for the grand finale:

Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely.



The major oaks in the wood start tuning up

and skies to come will deliver their tributes.

But for now, a cold April’s closing moments

parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon

snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.



By Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate


On the above link you can hear it being read out. Truly moving.
 
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I wonder what parts of the whole funeral were special farewell-tributes from several organisations and what parts were planned by Philip.

It was such an incredible dignified funeral. I still cry if I see some pictures.
 
Tributes to the late Duke at Piccadilly Circus in London today.



That picture of Prince Philip as shown in the screenshot is nice! I found the entire ceremony very solemn, understated and dignified. The BBC does these things best and I watched the entire coverage.
 
Did anyone see Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy? I looked through all the pictures, but I didn't see her.
 
Some nice reports coming out about the wreaths - there was one from Queen Margrethe (from "Daisy"), and others from Queen Beatrix, King Wilhelm and Queen Maxima, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, King Harald and Queen Sonia, and the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Without Covid they surely would have either attended or sent representatives.

For future reference: There is no king Wilhelm in the Netherlands. His name is king Willem-Alexander. While his father might be German, he wasn't given a German name; and made a point of including 'Alexander' in his regnal name (many people expected him to reign as 'Willem IV' but he decided against it). Wilhelm was the last German emperor. Beatrix previously was indeed a queen but since her abdication she is being referred to as 'princess'. Only after her death she will be called 'queen' again (like her mother and grandmother before her). And Sonja's name is written with an j instead of i in Norway.

Did anyone see Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy? I looked through all the pictures, but I didn't see her.

She was partially visible upon the entry of the procession in the quire. See my previous post that includes the seating arrangement in the quire; and check the video in Norwegianne's post; it is shortly after the time she indicated in her post.
 
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I think Summer at Balmoral will be hard on everyone- assuming everyone can indeed go this summer.

Maybe not all at once, but I’m sure at different times. I know HM does the inviting, but I believe it’s true that Philip asked him to take care of her, and I believe he’ll take it seriously. Charles lives on the Balmoral estate when he’s there ..so maybe he can bubble with HM when she is there. Maybe he can try to arrange - even outside of Balmoral - more family get togethers, or even if it’s just a few at a time.
 
It was nice to see Charles and Anne walking in the procession side by side.


Anne was marvelous, very dignified, very royal, I shared the video with some of my old friends in Russia, and they were mesmerized by the ceremony
 
Anne was marvelous, very dignified, very royal, I shared the video with some of my old friends in Russia, and they were mesmerized by the ceremony

They were all marvelous. Having buried several people I love I can't even being to imagine how difficult it must be to have to mourn and say goodbye someone you love dearly with thousands of people watching. They all did it so beautifully even as you could see the sorrow and heartbreak on their faces.
 
Some of the military band music prior to the start of the funeral procession at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.


I know Jerusalem was also played at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and it is not an uncommon song, (and I am reading too much into it) But having it played here, like this, and knowing that his mother Princess Alice is buried in Jerusalem, was an especially touching moment for me today.
 
:previous: Beautiful. Simply beautiful!
 
Some of the military band music prior to the start of the funeral procession at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.


Of the four pieces played by the massed bands two are heard every year at the Cenotaph O Valiant Hearts & Nimrod.

The other two Jerusalem & I Vow to The My Country are well known patriotic songs. O Valiant Hearts is particularly associated with the overwhelming grief & sense of loss felt after the Great War. A world into which the prince was born in 1921.

Apt choices by a patriot & a veteran of WW2.
 
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They were all marvelous. Having buried several people I love I can't even being to imagine how difficult it must be to have to mourn and say goodbye someone you love dearly with thousands of people watching. They all did it so beautifully even as you could see the sorrow and heartbreak on their faces.

Truth. I was most seeing Charles so bereft, but this really needs to put an end to the idea that the BRF are cold and unfeeling - it should never have existed in the first place. The Royals are just like us in the sense that all their prestige and wealth can’t protect them from days like this
 
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Catherine seemed quite emotional while walking back. You can see Sophie patting her on the back :(
 
The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal
The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex

The Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips and The Duke of Sussex

The Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and The Earl of Snowden.

Followed by six gentleman I do not know.

The 6 gentlemen were the Duke of Edinburgh's staff; so, I assume one of the two in the front row (of the 6) was his private secretary - who was initially included in the 30 mourners in the Quire.

Edit: checked a picture of Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell; and he seems to be the one on the left.
 
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Keir Simmons, a Brit on MSNBC, actually said we haven’t seen Williams and Harry following a casket since Diana’s funeral. Really? They walked behind the Queen Mother’s casket.

Disgraceful!
 
The 1 minute of silence was also a really touching moment. The positioning of the four children, followed by the three eldest grandsons and then the 2 'other' family members in the procession was visually well thought-out; and appropriate imho to have all 4 children on equal footing at that point.

I hope James is doing ok. It must have been a conscious decision to leave him out of the procession (and other activities leading up to the funeral that his sister did attend); he looked rather vulnerable; but was comforted by his mother for example when the procession passed; and was seated in-between his parents during the service.
 
I listened again to what the AOC and Dean of Windsor said. It really was very moving. I wouldn’t mind reading a transcript of it.
 
Some nice reports coming out about the wreaths - there was one from Queen Margrethe (from "Daisy"), and others from Queen Beatrix, King Wilhelm and Queen Maxima, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, King Harald and Queen Sonia, and the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.


Where are those reports coming from?
 
I listened again to what the AOC and Dean of Windsor said. It really was very moving. I wouldn’t mind reading a transcript of it.

I think everything they read was printed out in the order of service available from the monarchy website.
 
The 1 minute of silence was also a really touching moment. The positioning of the four children, followed by the three eldest grandsons and then the 2 'other' family members in the procession was visually well thought-out; and appropriate imho to have all 4 children on equal footing at that point.



The one minute of silence was very touching.

Given how this service had to be re- worked due to COVID, I was particularly impressed with how visually well done it all was.
 
Truth. I was most seeing Charles so bereft, but this really needs to put an end to the idea that the BRF are cold and unfeeling - it should never have existed in the first place. The Royals are just like us in the sense that all their prestige and wealth can’t protect them from days like this

It really should. They were all so obviously upset today. I hope no one ever thinks them unfeeling again just because they don't sob hysterically in public. Not everyone is comfortable doing that. I'm certainly not but that doesn't mean those people don't feel things just as deeply. I think we all saw that today.
 
I mean, the Danish commentators (one of which was a former Master of Ceremonies to QMII) mistook Lady Susan Hussey for Princess Alexandra and the Earl of Snowdon for the Duke of Gloucester (especially impressive since the Duchess is Danish :nonono:). Poor preparation sadly isn't exclusive to Gayle King.

True. Though I do prefer British coverage always, I heard both Katie Nichol before the funeral and a BBC presenter/reporter after the funeral reference great-grandchildren being present of which of course there were none. I can only guess they were thinking of Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn, but it's a surprising error.
 
Errors were also made in the UK. The BBC had it displayed on the screen after the funeral that coverage would start at 12:30, that the service was at 3:00 and 30 mourners would attend - until they realised their mistake and changed it to past tense, 30 mourners attended etc.

I recorded it and will watch again as I missed the start of the procession, but I could have sworn that Reeta Chakrabarti said that it was attended by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The latter of course were not present.

I so felt for HM and felt the cameras made it worse in terms of the amount of times they kept returning to her - while I did not notice the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, Princess Alexandra or any of those representing Philip’s sisters’ families at all.
 
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