The Duke of Edinburgh will be honoured in a memorial at Westminster Abbey today, Tuesday 29 March.
The Service of Thanksgiving will be attended by most senior members of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Buckingham Palace has also confirmed the Queen will attend the memorial after recovering from a bout of Covid and struggling with mobility issues.
Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband of 73 years, died on 9 April 2021.
Philip’s funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor last year took place during Covid restrictions and was limited to just 30 people. The Queen sat alone during the farewell ceremony due to social distancing measures, and singing was banned at the time.
As a result of the pandemic, some of the Duke’s funeral requests could not be fulfilled, such as his wish for the congregation to sing the hymn “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer”.
Philip also wanted the minister of Crathie Church near Balmoral, the rector of Sandringham and the chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, to take part in his funeral.
Today’s service will see around 1,800 guests congregating at the Abbey, greeted by Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations who will line the steps.
In addition to senior royals and some of Philip’s older great-grandchildren will be in attendance. Around 30 foreign royals are also expected to attend, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
