Prince Philip memorial order of service: What will happen at Duke of Edinburgh farewell?
PRINCE Philip’s funeral in April 2021 was marked by a pared-down funeral service with only 30 family members and close friends in attendance.
Now the Royal Family and 1,800 guests will gather to pay tribute – on a grander scale – to the life and legacy of the man who stood by Her Majesty for more than 70 years.
Prince Philip memorial order of service
The late Duke of Edinburgh‘s family and guests will gather at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2020, for a memorial service honouring him.
His funeral service in April 2021 was scaled down in the shadow of Covid-19 restrictions.
Her Majesty the Queen at her husband’s funeral due to concerns over the virus.
The Queen, 95, is expected to attend once again, despite missing a string of engagements.
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The Service of Thanksgiving will include the politicians and European royals who could not attend the funeral.
The service, which begins at 11.30am, will air live on BBC One from 10.30am to 12.15pm.
Here is the order of service:
- Before the service, Matthew Jorysz, Assistant Organist; the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth; and a Sub-Organist will play a selection of musical pieces as dignitaries and members of the Duke’s family are led to their seats.
- A fanfare is sounded before the Queen is received by the Dean and Chapter. Presentations are made.
- Opening hymn: He Who Would Valiant Be
- The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, opens the service with a Bidding.
- Doyin Sonibare, a Gold Award holder from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, will deliver a Tribute.
- The Right Honourable the Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will deliver a reading from the Book of Isaiah.
- The choir will briefly sing before the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, delivers a second reading from the Book of Philippians.
- All stand to sing the hymn: All Creatures Of Our God And King.
- The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO, Dean of Windsor, will give an Address, followed by singing by the choir.
- The Reverend Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, will introduce prayers.
- The prayers will be said by religious leaders from Sandringham, Windsor Great Park and other parishes attended by the royals.
- All stand to sing the hymn: Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer,
- Finally, the Most Reverend and the Right Honourable Justin Welby, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, will deliver the final Blessing.
- All will sing God Save The Queen and Her Majesty and members of the Royal Family will leave the church.
- Allegro molto e ritmico from Sonata Britannica by Charles Villiers Stanford will be played.
- After the service, the band will play The Seafarers as arranged by Michael McDermott.
What hymns will be sung at the Prince Philip memorial service?
Songs at Prince Philip’s Thanksgiving Service will be sung by the choir and congregants alike.
The choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, will feature heavily, with James O’Donnell, organist and master of the choristers, directing.
The first song, sung by the choir and congregants, is Monk’s Gate 372 NEH from The Pilgrim’s Progress adapted from an English folk song by John Bunyan and arranged by James O’Donnell.
After the first reading, the choir sings William Byrd’s Collect for Holy Communion The Book of Common Prayer.
Next, after the second reading, all present will stand to sing Lasst uns erfreuen 263 NEH, based on a poem by St Francis of Assisi and translated by William Draper.
Following the Dean of Windsor’s address, the choir will sing Te Deum in C by Benjamin Britten.
Later, all will sing Cwm Rhondda 368 NEH by John Hughes and
Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch by William Williams.
Finally, all will sing God Save The Queen.
Who is attending the Prince Philip memorial service?
At the 2021 funeral, only 30 family members and close friends of the Duke of Edinburgh were able to attend.
Prince Harry, who was at the funeral, will be absent from the memorial due to security concerns, but Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend.
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Prince Charles
- Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall
- Princess Anne
- Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
- Prince Andrew
- Prince Edward
- Sophie, The Countess of Wessex
- Lady Louise Windsor
- James, Viscount Severn
- Peter Phillips
- Savannah Phillips
- Isla Phillips
- Zara Tindall
- Mike Tindall
- Prince William
- Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge
- Prince George
- Princess Charlotte
- Princess Beatrice
- Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
- Princess Eugenie
- Jack Brooksbank
- Princess Alexandra
- The Duke of Gloucester
- The Duke of Kent
- The Hereditary Prince of Baden
- The Landgrave of Hesse
- The Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
- The Earl of Snowdon
- The Countess Mountbatten of Burma
- Lady Sarah Chatto
- Daniel Chatto
This Service of Thanksgiving will give 1,800 more mourners the opportunity to bid the late Prince Philip farewell.
Included among the guests are European royals and patrons of the Duke’s favourite charities, including Sir David Attenborough.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and wife Carrie will also attend, after skipping the funeral to make room for members of the Royal Family.
A few of the additional guests in attendance will be:
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- Prince Albert of Monaco
- Queen Margrethe of Denmark
- King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
- Princess Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
- King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and Prince Radu
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