Queen to have final moment with Prince Philip before funeral

HRH will pause for a silent moment of reflection before the ceremony

(Getty Images)

The Queen is set to have a pause for reflection with the Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin ahead of his funeral on Saturday.

Prince Philip died on Friday 9 April at the age of 99. His funeral is due to take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

As part of the funeral, the Queen is expected to pause for a silent moment on her way to the ceremony in her car, where she will be able to see Prince Philip’s Land Rover hearse and coffin just before the procession turns to face the direction of the chapel.

It will mark the last time that the Queen has a moment on her own with her late husband, to whom she was married for 73 years.

The Queen is expected to sit alone at the funeral due to social distancing guidelines that mean she cannot be within two metres of anyone outside of her household.

This includes her close relatives and friends who will be in attendance tomorrow.

A maximum of 30 guests will attend the funeral, including the Duke of Sussex, who has flown to London from Los Angeles for the occasion.

However, Prince Harry will not walk shoulder to shoulder with his older brother, the Duke of Cambridge, in the funeral procession, it was revealed yesterday.

Instead, the brothers will walk separately, either side of their cousin Peter Phillips – Princess Anne’s son – as they follow their grandfather’s coffin at St George’s Chapel.

When the coffin is taken into the chapel at Windsor Castle, William will then move ahead of Harry as the rest of the family arrives in pairs.