Many will remember the haunting image of the Queen almost a year ago as she sat alone in Westminster Abbey. Covid restrictions meant when her beloved husband Prince Philip passed away she was unable to have the comfort of other family members.
His death on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99 came in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and at a time when numbers for funerals were strictly limited to 30 guests. So instead of the usually packed Abbey, there were a handful of mourners at his funeral service on April 17.
Today, almost a year on, restrictions have lifted. This means a memorial service can be held to celebrate his public service and a "long life lived fully".
Apart from key family members, which include the Queen, their children and most of their grandchildren, there will also be representatives of many of the 700 charities supported by the Prince. These include the Duke of Edinburgh Award with others as diverse as the Outward Bound Trust and Voluntary Services Overseas to the Caravan and Motorhome Club.
Prince Harry, his grandson, and his wife Meghan Markle have already said they will not be there. They gave their reason for missing the event as having security concerns over their return without the protection they would have had in the past, reports The Mirror.
Prince Andrew, however, will be there in a rare public appearance since he began to keep a low profile in 2019. The Duke formally settled an alleged rape case against him by accuser Virginia Roberts at a court in New York earlier this month. He has always denied the allegations.
The service is due to start at Westminster Abbey today from 11.30am. Here is the guest list.
Royal Family Members
The Queen
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge
Prince Andrew
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Prince Edward, Sophie Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn
Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Duke of Kent
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Other royal guests
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
Queen Margrethe of Denmark
Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
Prince Albert of Monaco
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain
Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan
Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece
Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece
Margareta Custodian of the Romanian Crown and Prince Radu of Romania
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia
Prince Kyril of Preslav
Other notable guests
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson
Dame Floella Benjamin
Baroness Grey-Thompson
Members of the military who were involved in the funeral, including Pipe Major Colour Sergeant Peter Grant and the Grenadier Guards Bearer Party.
Other family members
Prince George will also attend the service along with some of the Queen and Philip's other great-grandchildren. These include Peter Phillips' daughters Savannah and Isla and Zara and Mike Tindall's daughter Mia.
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