Prince William and Harry to walk apart in funeral procession for Prince Philip

The funeral will have 30 guests and will take place on Saturday 17 April

Harry and William have been reunited in person since the Oprah interview last month (Rupert Hartley/Shutterstock)

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry will not walk shoulder to shoulder in their grandfather’s funeral procession on Saturday, following speculation they could do so.

The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, who have been reunited in person for the first time following the explosive Oprah interview last month, will both be in attendance on Saturday.

However, the brothers will walk separately, either side of their cousin Peter Phillips – Princess Anne’s son – as they trail their grandfather’s coffin at St George’s chapel in Windsor.

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

Details of the funeral were released by Buckingham Palace on Thursday, marking almost a week since the death of Prince Philip at the age of 99.

Much reporting has focused on the need for the ceremony to be Covid-compliant, including a maximum of 30 guests and the separation of households.

The palace has also confirmed that the Queen will wear a mask and will sit alone in the quire [the choir area] of the chapel.

This was the same area where many of the royals sat during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

The palace said that Philip was the guiding force behind his own funeral arrangements and will reflect his long association with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

Action Stations, the sound played on warships to signal all hands should go to battle stations, will reportedly be played during the service. It is sometimes featured at funerals of naval men.

After much discussion around the use of military dress – in particular for Prince Andrew who has stepped back from his royal duties – Buckingham Palace confirmed that royal men will wear morning coats with their medals.

Both Prince Harry and William released statements on Monday, paying tribute to their grandfather.

William, who issued his statement around 15 minutes ahead of his younger brother, described Philip as an “extraordinary man” and said he would miss him but would “get on with the job”.

By contrast, Harry described the duke as a “legend of banter”, saying: “He was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right till the end.”