Gun salutes across the United Kingdom were marking the death of Prince Philip on Saturday. The husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died on Friday at Windsor Castle. He was 99.
Batteries of cannons in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and other cities were firing 41 rounds at one-minute intervals starting at midday. Salutes were also fired from Royal Navy ships at sea.
“His Royal Highness leaves us with a legacy of indomitable spirit, steadfastness and an unshakeable sense of duty,” said General Nick Carter, chief of the U.K. Defense Staff. “From all of us who serve today and who have served, thank you.”
Also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip served in the Royal Navy during World War II and once had a promising military career. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1939 and won mentions during the war for his service aboard the battleship HMS Valiant at Cape Matapan, on Greece’s Peloponnesian peninsula. He rose to the rank of commander before he retired from active duty.
Philip was hospitalized in February and underwent surgery for a heart condition. He and the queen were married for over 73 years.
Philip will be laid to rest with all the honors due a prince of the United Kingdom and a consort to Queen Elizabeth II. But the coronavirus pandemic means it will be a more low-key farewell than has marked many royal deaths. The pandemic has required changes to the well-prepared plans for Philip’s passing, code-named Operation Forth Bridge.
“During the coronavirus pandemic, and in light of current government advice and social distancing guidelines, modified Funeral and ceremonial arrangements for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being considered by Her Majesty The Queen,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “Details will be confirmed in due course.”
Philip’s body will not lie in state, a function both of the pandemic and his own “no fuss” attitude. Nor will it be a state funeral, in keeping with his wishes.
The College of Arms, the body that oversees ceremonial protocol, said Friday that the duke’s body will lie at rest in Windsor Castle, 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of London, where he spent his final weeks with the queen. His funeral will be held in St. George’s Chapel at the castle, the site of centuries of royal burials — and royal weddings, including the 2018 union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Buckingham Palace will announce later when the funeral will be held and how many people will attend. Funerals are currently restricted to 30 people or fewer under England’s coronavirus rules, so it’s likely to be immediate family only. Britain, which has Europe’s highest toll in the pandemic at over 127,000 dead, is still under some lockdown restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.
It’s thought that Harry will try to travel from his home in Montecito, California, to say goodbye to his grandfather but he could have to navigate Britain’s restrictions.
Travelers from the U.S. must produce a negative COVID-19 test before they get on the plane and must self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival, but that quarantine can end early if a test after five days comes back negative. His wife Meghan is quite pregnant with their second child and is not expected to make the trip.
