THE Queen will have to bravely sit on her own during Prince Philip's funeral because of strict coronavirus rules.
The only person who could sit with her during the funeral is expected to be Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell, Philip's private secretary.
He is the only other member of the 20-person Windsor Castle Covid bubble – known as 'HMS Bubble' – likely to be at the funeral.
The Earl Peel had overseen arrangements for the Philip's funeral – known as Operation Forth Bridge – before handing responsibility to his successor, former MI5 spy chief Baron Parker, just over a week before the duke died peacefully at Windsor Castle.
And it is understood the Queen will also wear at mask during the funeral so as not to break the strict coronavirus rules.
It comes as the Queen reportedly “understands” why pregnant Meghan Markle hasn’t flown to the UK with her husband Prince Harry to attend Prince Philip’s funeral.
Meghan, 39, stayed behind in the £11 million California mansion she shares with Harry, 36, and their son Archie.
A source told People that both Meghan and Harry “were in contact with the Queen” soon after Philip’s death.
The source said: “It was always a given that Harry would return to England for his grandfather’s passing.
“Meghan expressed condolences. The Queen understands why she can’t travel at the moment.”
Her understanding comes despite Meghan reportedly saying she had "decided to forgive" the Royal Family after Prince Philip's death and "wants to put their differences aside".
A pal told the MailOnline: "Meghan said her main concern right now is supporting Harry… she said she left it up to him as to whether or not she would attend the funeral.
"Meghan said it's during these times when family should come together, put their differences aside and unite as one.
It comes as the Queen reportedly “understands” why pregnant Meghan Markle hasn’t flown to the UK with her husband Prince Harry to attend Prince Philip’s funeral.
Meghan, 39, stayed behind in the £11 million California mansion she shares with Harry, 36, and their son Archie.
A source told People that both Meghan and Harry “were in contact with the Queen” soon after Philip’s death.
The source said: “It was always a given that Harry would return to England for his grandfather’s passing.
“Meghan expressed condolences. The Queen understands why she can’t travel at the moment.”
Her understanding comes despite Meghan reportedly saying she had "decided to forgive" the Royal Family after Prince Philip's death and "wants to put their differences aside".
A pal told the MailOnline: "Meghan said her main concern right now is supporting Harry… she said she left it up to him as to whether or not she would attend the funeral.
"Meghan said it's during these times when family should come together, put their differences aside and unite as one.
"She said this is what Prince Philip would want and that she's willing to forgive and move forward."
Philip's death comes amid a turmoil-filled 12 months for the royals after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry quit the royal family.
Prince Philip remained one of the hardest working royals in history – since 1952 he attended 22,219 solo engagements and 637 overseas tours in a career marked by his famous gaffes, wit and wisdom.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest news and updates…
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE HARRY HAS FLOWN THOUSANDS OF MILES FOR FUNERAL
Prince Harry has flown 5,000 miles from the US to be at Windsor Castle on Saturday — where he will meet senior royals for the first time since “Megxit” and his contentious Oprah Winfrey chat.
He will walk behind Philip’s coffin alongside brother Prince William and dad Prince Charles, just weeks after he claimed they were trapped inside the Royal Family.
But a Palace source insisted: “I’m sure Charles will be very happy to see his son.
“It’s been more than a year. The Prince is very much looking forward to seeing him.”
Harry last saw the royals at the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020.
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE PHILIP CLASSIC QUOTES
The Duke of Edinburgh was famous for his quick wit and dry sense of humour. Here are a few of his classic quotes:
- “The French don’t know how to cook breakfast” – after being served bacon, eggs, smoked salmon, kedgeree, croissants and pain au chocolat by Regis Crepy.
- “I would like to go to Russia very much – although the bastards murdered half my family” – when asked if he would like to visit the then Soviet Union back in 1967.
- “I wish he’d turn the microphone off” – while watching Elton John perform at the Royal Variety Show, 2001.
- “You have mosquitoes. I have the press” – while speaking to a Caribbean hospital matron, 1966.
WILL AND HARRY SPEAK ON PHONE AHEAD OF FUNERAL
Prince Harry and William have reportedly had a chat on the phone, ahead of their first face-to-face meeting in a year at Prince Philip’s funeral.
The brothers will be reunited at the ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon – with Kate Middleton expected to act as a peacemaker.
The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on Sunday and is staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to quarantine for five days ahead of his grandad's funeral on Saturday.
Meghan Markle, 39, who is heavily pregnant, made “every effort” to travel but didn’t receive medical clearance from her physician, a Senior Palace Official and Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
It marks Harry’s first visit to the UK since he and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family and since their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE ANDREW DEMANDS TO DRESS AS ADMIRAL FOR PHILIP'S FUNERAL
Prince Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress as an Admiral for Prince Philip's funeral – despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
He was due to be promoted to Admiral on his 60th birthday last year, but offered to defer the role until he cleared his name and returned to public life.
Now, the 61-year-old prince has reportedly told the Queen and senior officials he wished to attend his father's farewell as an Admiral, The Daily Mail reports.
Her Majesty is expected to make a decision on Andrew's outfit in the next 24 hours.
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE HARRY HAS FLOWN THOUSANDS OF MILES FOR FUNERAL
Prince Harry has flown 5,000 miles from the US to be at Windsor Castle on Saturday — where he will meet senior royals for the first time since “Megxit” and his contentious Oprah Winfrey chat.
He will walk behind Philip’s coffin alongside brother Prince William and dad Prince Charles, just weeks after he claimed they were trapped inside the Royal Family.
But a Palace source insisted: “I’m sure Charles will be very happy to see his son".
Harry last saw the royals at the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020.
- Alice Peacock
QUEEN ‘LOST’ WITHOUT PHILIP, SAYS DUKE’S COUSIN
The Queen will be completely “lost” without Prince Philip as he was her “world”, one of his grieving relatives has revealed.
Lady Myra Butter, a cousin to the Duke of Edinburgh, described Her Majesty’s sense of loss following his death as “incalculable.”
Speaking about his dedication to duty, Lady Myra told ITV “nobody could have done that job” as Philip did.
And when asked what the Queen has lost, and what her husband meant to her, she replied: “The world, I think. Incalculable.
“There’s nobody, in my mind, who could have done that job. Nobody. Dedicated to it, and very intelligent….and youthful,” she said.
“He was a step behind walking, but he was never a step behind as a person.”
Read the full story here.
- Alice Peacock
PHILIP'S FINAL JOURNEY
- Alice Peacock
FUNERAL PLANS
Philip's coffin will be carried from Windsor Castle in the back of an open-top Land Rover he helped develop with the Army.
He will reportedly be laid in a lead-lined coffin made of oak.
The Duke's coffin was made alongside one for the Queen but no one knows how old it is as the company inherited them in 1991.
And it is unlikely to be shown at the funeral on Saturday as it will be draped in the Duke's personal standard.
Although Philip will one day be buried with the Queen in the memorial chapel in Frogmore Gardens, his body will lie in the Royal Vault until the day comes.
- Alice Peacock
ARMED FORCES GEARING UP FOR PHILIP’S FUNERAL
The Armed Forces are stepping up preparations for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral as senior officers paid tribute to the Queen’s Consort.
Philip’s funeral will feature servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF – alongside top military brass – this Saturday at Windsor Castle.
Soldiers from the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are reportedly working to prepare the special Land Rover – that the duke helped design – which will carry his coffin on Saturday.
Lieutenant General Paul Jaques, who served with REME, said about the duke, his unit’s former colonel-in-chief: “He was engaged with us and used to visit us probably once or twice every single year since 1969.
“And he had an enormous passion for all things engineering. In his own words ‘If it wasn’t invented by God, it was invented by an engineer’.”
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE WILLIAM SHARES MEMORIES OF ‘EXTRAORDINARY GRANDPA’
The Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex have recalled their grandfather as an individual, “authentically himself”, filled with warmth and wit and devoted to the monarch.
Reflecting on how his grandfather’s “century of life was defined by service”, Prince William said: “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days.”
He added: “My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation.
“Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will support the Queen in the years ahead.
“I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”
Credit: PA - Alice Peacock
CALL ON ME
Prince Harry and William spoke on the phone ahead of their first face-to-face meeting in a year at Prince Philip’s funeral.
The brothers will be reunited at the ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday afternoon – with Kate Middleton expected to act as a peacemaker.
Prince Philip passed away at Windsor Castle on Friday aged 99 – sparking an outpouring of grief.
The Duke of Sussex returned to the UK on Sunday and is staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor to quarantine for five days ahead of his grandad's funeral on Saturday.
Meghan Markle, 39, who is heavily pregnant, made “every effort” to travel but didn’t receive medical clearance from her physician, a Senior Palace Official and Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
- Alice Peacock
PRINCE HARRY HAS FLOWN THOUSANDS OF MILES FOR FUNERAL
Prince Harry has flown 5,000 miles from the US to be at Windsor Castle on Saturday — where he will meet senior royals for the first time since “Megxit” and his contentious Oprah Winfrey chat.
He will walk behind Philip’s coffin alongside brother Prince William and dad Prince Charles, just weeks after he claimed they were trapped inside the Royal Family.
But a Palace source insisted: “I’m sure Charles will be very happy to see his son.
“It’s been more than a year. The Prince is very much looking forward to seeing him.”
Harry last saw the royals at the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020.
- Alice Peacock
QUEEN WILL SIT ON HER OWN DURING FUNERAL
The Queen will reportedly have to sit on her own during Prince Philip's funeral because of strict coronavirus rules.
The only person who could sit with her during the funeral is expected to be Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell, Philip's private secretary.
He is the only other member of the 20-person Windsor Castle Covid bubble – known as 'HMS Bubble' – likely to be at the funeral.
The Earl Peel had overseen arrangements for the Philip's funeral – known as Operation Forth Bridge – before handing responsibility to his successor, former MI5 spy chief Baron Parker, just over a week before the duke died peacefully at Windsor Castle.
- Alice Peacock
QUEEN RETURNED TO ROYAL DUTIES YESTERDAY
The Queen returned to royal duties yesterday – just four days after the death of Prince Philip.
The monarch marked the retirement of her household's most senior official for her first in-person event since the Duke of Edinburgh's passing on Friday.
She hosted a ceremony as the Earl Peel formally stood down as Lord Chamberlain.
Returning to her official role so soon after her bereavement typifies the Queen's deep sense of duty and service.
Prince Andrew has said his mother is bearing up stoically and the family have been rallying round to support her.
Meanwhile, Prince William has pledged to uphold Philip's wishes and continue to support his grandmother and "get on with the job".
- Alice Peacock
QUEEN 'UNDERSTANDS' WHY MEGHAN WON'T ATTEND FUNERAL
The Queen reportedly "understands" why a pregnant Meghan Markle hasn't flown to the UK with her husband Prince Harry to attend Prince Philip's funeral.
Meghan, 39, stayed behind in the £11 million California mansion she shares with Harry, 36, and their son Archie.
Harry arrived back in the UK this week for his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday.
A source told People that both Meghan and Harry "were in contact with the Queen" soon after Philip's death.
The source said: "It was always a given that Harry would return to England for his grandfather's passing. Meghan expressed condolences. The Queen understands why she can't travel at the moment."
- Alice Peacock
WHERE IS PRINCE HARRY STAYING IN THE UK?
The Duke of Sussex is currently staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
Prince Harry, 36, was seen getting off a British Airways flight from Los Angeles that arrived at Heathrow at 1.15pm on Monday, April 12.
He was put into a black Range Rover and whisked away.
Sources had earlier confirmed he was due back imminently to quarantine in time for the Duke of Edinburgh’s farewell at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday, April 17.
Harry is expected to self-isolate for five days to comply with Covid quarantine rules. It is the first time he has returned to these shores since he and his wife Meghan Markle left for a new life in the US.
- Britta Zeltmann
RULES FOR ROYALS
The Queen is to wear a mask at Philip’s funeral — while royals may be banned from singing hymns to stop the spread of Covid.
Experts believe updated government rules will make the Duke of Edinburgh's send-off on Saturday “the most low-key royal funeral ever”.
Details are still being finalised but Palace sources insist Covid guidelines will be followed at the ceremony inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
But updated guidance published this week bans communal singing – meaning hymns could be banned from the service.
You can read more here.
- Britta Zeltmann
COVID RULES
The Queen will "have to sit on her own" during Prince Philip's funeral because of strict coronavirus rules.
Members of the Royal Family will have to be at least two metres apart during the service at St George's Chapel in Windsor on Saturday.
The only person who could sit with her during the funeral is expected to be Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell, Philip's private secretary.
He is the only other member of the 20-person Windsor Castle Covid bubble – known as 'HMS Bubble' – likely to be at the funeral.
Royal sources told the Telegraph that the Queen, 94, would be alone at the funeral unless a member of her bubble also attended.
- Debbie White
ARMED FORCES GEARING UP FOR PHILIP'S FUNERAL
The Armed Forces are stepping up preparations for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral as senior officers paid tribute to the Queen's Consort.
Philip's funeral will feature servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF – alongside top military brass – this Saturday at Windsor Castle.
Soldiers from the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) are reportedly working to prepare the special Land Rover – that the duke helped design – which will carry his coffin on Saturday.
Lieutenant General Paul Jaques, who served with REME, said about the duke, his unit's former colonel-in-chief: "He was engaged with us and used to visit us probably once or twice every single year since 1969.
"And he had an enormous passion for all things engineering. In his own words 'If it wasn't invented by God, it was invented by an engineer'."
- Debbie White
QUEEN RETURNS TO ROYAL DUTIES TO MARK OFFICIAL'S RETIREMENT
The Queen returned to royal duties on Tuesday, April 13, four days after the death of Prince Philip, in an event to mark the retirement of her household's most senior official.
The queen hosted a ceremony as the Earl Peel stepped down as Lord Chamberlain.
Philip, who had been at the queen's side throughout her 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday, aged 99. His funeral will be held on Saturday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as he was officially known, married Elizabeth in 1947.
Despite the hole in her life left by Philip's death, aides and royal experts have long said it would not lead to the queen, the world's oldest and longest-reigning living monarch, relinquishing the throne in favour of her son and heir Prince Charles.
- Debbie White
AXE ON THE MALL – MAN ARRESTED NEAR BUCKINGHAM PALACE
A man allegedly seen wielding an axe near Buckingham Palace has been arrested by six armed cops.
The Met Police said officers were on patrol on The Mall in London at around 6.30pm on Tuesday when they spotted the man with the weapon.
A bald suspect, in his 40s and wearing sunglasses, was led to the back of a police van by armed cops.
Photos taken by onlookers showed cops placing what is thought to be the axe inside a white bag.
Three police cars and a van remain parked on the road as the investigation continues. There are no reports of any injuries.
- Debbie White
PRINCE HARRY HAS FLOWN THOUSANDS OF MILES FOR FUNERAL
Prince Harry has flown 5,000 miles from the US to be at Windsor Castle on Saturday — where he will meet senior royals for the first time since “Megxit” and his contentious Oprah Winfrey chat.
He will walk behind Philip’s coffin alongside brother Prince William and dad Prince Charles, just weeks after he claimed they were trapped inside the Royal Family.
But a Palace source insisted: “I’m sure Charles will be very happy to see his son.
"It’s been more than a year. The Prince is very much looking forward to seeing him.”
Harry last saw the royals at the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020.
Prince Harry will attend the funeral - Debbie White
EXTENSIVE TV COVERAGE OF FUNERAL EXPECTED
Prince Philip's funeral day will receive extensive TV coverage both in the UK and around the world.
The day will be covered around the globe on TV with a live broadcast on BBC.
The Royal Family has asked the public not to travel to Windsor Castle for Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday April 17.
The funeral will begin with a national minute's silence at 3pm.
- Debbie White
HARRY AND WILLIAM TO WEAR THE SAME SUITS TO FUNERAL
According to a royal expert, Prince William and Prince Harry will wear the same suits for their grandfather’s funeral on Saturday to avoid a “rift.”
It was previously reported that the Duke of Sussex could be expected to dress in a suit – and not his uniform – as a result of him and Meghan stepping back as senior royals.
Prince William could wear his military uniform at the ceremonial service for Philip as he’s a working royal but Richard Fitzwilliams said it was more likely he would wear a suit to avoid contrasting with Harry.
The Duke of Sussex can no longer wear his honorary military outfit after losing his titles.
- Debbie White
WHERE IS PRINCE HARRY STAYING IN THE UK?
The Duke of Sussex is currently staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
Prince Harry, 36, was seen getting off a British Airways flight from Los Angeles that arrived at Heathrow at 1.15pm on Monday, April 12.
He was put into a black Range Rover and whisked away.
Sources had earlier confirmed he was due back imminently to quarantine in time for the Duke of Edinburgh’s farewell at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday, April 17.
Harry is expected to self-isolate for five days to comply with Covid quarantine rules. It is the first time he has returned to these shores since he and his wife Meghan Markle left for a new life in the US.
The Duke of Sussex is currently staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor
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