Did Prince Philip plan his funeral? Duke of Edinburgh, NOT Queen, wanted Harry and William apart during ceremony
Before his death last week, Prince Philip had reportedly planned out his funeral meticulously. This also included having the final say on whether his grandsons, Prince William and Harry, will be walking side-by-side during the last rites ceremony.
Royal expert Robert Jobson mentioned in his biography of the 99-year-old duke, titled 'Prince Philip's Century: The Extraordinary Life of the Duke of Edinburgh' that he left the Queen specific instructions on how to honor him during his funeral as he wanted to plan the ceremony according to his wishes. Another expert said that the plans may have included keeping the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex separate during the gathering so that they don't get many chances to interact, lest the conversations turned sour.
READ MORE
"They're afraid that lip readers will read what they say to each other. But it's not going to be a long procession at all so you could just talk about a barbecue with Phil that you had," TV host David Koch said on the Australian morning show 'Sunrise'. Commentator Nathan Templeton added: "Either don't say anything or only say nice things, that's not very hard. My only thought on this is it's Philip's funeral. No one knows better what he would have wanted than the Queen. I'm pretty sure all this stuff gets run by her."
"I agree, if ever there's a chance to not say anything it's at a funeral but they would have had the body language experts all over them no matter what. Philip had input into every detail of which funeral so it was probably his decision," noted another royal expert.
Queen ordered Harry and William not to stand shoulder to shoulder
MEAWW had previously reported that by virtue of the monarch's order, the estranged brothers will be a part of the small 30-member party of close family members who will follow Prince Philip's body, but they will be separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips, son of their aunt Princess Anne, on Saturday, April 17. While the coffin is carried into St George's Chapel in Windsor, where the Duke will finally be laid to rest, William will move ahead of his younger brother, proceeding to take their seats separately, reported the Daily Mail.
The solemn event is being seen by some as a missed opportunity to show unity within the family in the wake of their grandfather's death while others went on to wonder if the princes were being kept apart deliberately at their own behest. "This is a funeral (and) we will not be drawn into those perceptions of drama. The arrangements have been agreed and reflect Her Majesty's wishes," a Buckingham Palace spokesman told the Daily Mail.
Details of the Duke of Edinburgh's royal ceremonial funeral were publicly released. These included the fact that the Queen will wear a mask, sit socially distanced from her family and follow the coffin of her husband of 73 years in the state Bentley. The 30-strong congregation comprises all of Philip's children and grandchildren, their spouses and close relatives. This includes Prince Charles, Prince of Wales; Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Princess Anne; Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.