Queen Elizabeth bids farewell to Prince Philip at funeral

Queen Elizabeth bade farewell to Prince Philip at his funeral on Saturday- a ceremony that celebrated his seven decades of service.
Elizabeth, dressed in black and in a white trimmed black face mask, stood alone, head bowed as her husband of 73 years was lowered into the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel in a service attended by senior royals including heir Prince Charles.
Officially known as the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip died aged 99 on April 9.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the Nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith,” Dean of Windsor David Conner said.
Philip, who married Elizabeth in 1947, helped the young queen adapt the monarchy to the changing times of the post-World War Two era as the loss of empire and the decline of deference challenged the world’s most prominent royal family.
In 1997, the queen described Philip as her “strength and stay” over their decades of marriage. Now 94, she has reigned for 69 years.
Funeral rites
The Duke’s coffin was borne to the chapel on a bespoke Land Rover Defender TD 130 in military green that Philip himself helped to design, as a minute gun fired eight times.
Philip’s children and grandchildren followed behind on foot, evoking memories of the 1997 funeral of Diana when William and Harry – then just 15 and 12 – walked behind their mother’s coffin.
His naval cap and sword lay on top of the coffin, which was covered with the Duke of Edinburgh’s personal standard featuring the Danish coat of arms, the Greek cross, Edinburgh Castle and the stripes of the Mountbatten family.
A wreath of white roses, lilies and jasmine from the queen also adorned the coffin.
There were just 30 mourners inside the chapel because of continuing coronavirus restrictions in Britain.
As the service began at 3 p.m.(1400 GMT), Prime Minister Boris Johnson observed a minute’s silence, along with millions of Britons.
Prince’s chosen music
Before the procession, military bands spaced out across the quadrangle of Windsor Castle in brilliant sunshine to play the prince’s chosen music, including “I Vow To Thee My Country”, “Jerusalem” and “Nimrod”.
The four-person choir sang a sailors’ hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”. Shortly before the coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, the Russian “Kontakion of the Departed”, a hymn of the Orthodox and Eastern churches, echoed around the ancient church.
There were no eulogies, just brief words of praise for the prince from the dean of Windsor and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in their prayers.
As the service ended, buglers from the Royal Marines sounded the “Last Post” and then “Action Stations” to honour the late duke’s World War Two naval service, before the choir sang the national anthem.
Elizabeth has been widowed just as she grapples with one of the gravest crises to hit the royal family in decades – allegations of racism and neglect by it from Harry and Meghan, his American-born wife.

Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke