Prince Philip memorial service LIVE
THE Queen WILL attend Prince Philip’s memorial in London today, it has been confirmed.
The Duke of Edinburgh will be remembered as a “man of rare ability and distinction” at a poignant memorial service featuring elements he planned for his own funeral which were forbidden due to Covid-19 restrictions.
A palace source said: “The Queen has been actively involved in the plans for today’s service, with many elements reflecting Her Majesty’s wishes.”
It is believed the Queen will not sit alone, unlike at the scaled-back funeral last April.
It is understood some of Philip’s older great-grandchildren may attend, giving the youngest generation of royals the chance to honour their much loved great-grandfather.
Missing gestures from Philip’s pre-pandemic arrangements will see Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations line the steps of Westminster Abbey as guests arrive.
The duke’s express wishes for the congregation to join and sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for the clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part will finally be granted today.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex has been criticised by experts for not attending the service today
Speaking to the MailOnline, royal author Phil Dampier said : “It’s very sad that Harry and Meghan won’t be at Prince Philip’s memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it.
“He has said that he doesn’t feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad.
‘Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn’t last long.”
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
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Philip’s wishes
As part of Philip’s wishes, Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations will line the steps as the 1,800-strong congregation arrives.
Hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer will also be sung after Covid put an end to the royal’s funeral wishes.
The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band) will also provide rousing music before and after as part of his longstanding relationship with the Armed Forces.
The flowers also have a touching nod to Philip and the Queen’s 73-year marriage with orchids that appeared in her wedding bouquet to bloom in the church.
Prayers will be said for the duke’s “gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty”.
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In pictures: Andrew seen travelling with Her Majesty by car
The Queen is travelling to Westminster Abbey with disgraced royal Prince Andrew.
It means Andrew, who was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in January, is likely to bump into representatives from charities and organisations from which he has been forced to step down.
The duke, who will wear a lounge suit for the occasion rather than a military uniform, was not present at Westminster Abbey earlier this month for the Commonwealth Day Service attended by senior royals.
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Andrew travelling in car with Her Majesty to memorial
Prince Andrew is travelling with the Queen to Prince Philip’s memorial.
The Duke of York, often dubbed his mother’s “favourite son” made his way in the monarch’s car from Windsor to Westminster Abbey.
Today will mark his first public appearance since he paid a £7 million settlement to Virginia Giuffre to drop the civil sex assault case brought against him in the US.
It also shows the Queen’s support for her disgraced son, who has hardly been seen in public since he stepped down from royal life following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Andrew has always denied all allegations against him.
Read more here.
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Pictured: Prince Philip memorial Order of Service
Buckingham Palace has released the front cover of the Order of Service for Philip’s memorial service.
The Queen will attend the memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh, Buckingham Palace has said.
The monarch, 95, has rallied to make an appearance and lead her family at the high-profile and personally significant occasion in honour of husband Philip.
She made the final decision on Tuesday morning, hours before she was due to travel from Windsor Castle to central London, having been determined to be at Westminster Abbey if her mobility allowed her.
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Special arrangements in place for the Queen
Special arrangements will now be put in place in anticipation of the Queen’s arrival.
The service, which starts at 11.15am, is limited to 40 minutes and Her Majesty will be given an additional cushion.
It is understood she will not be filmed making her way through the back of the Abbey via a shorter route than her normal journey across the length of the church.
The Queen will be joined by senior royals including Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex.
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Small crowd gathered outside Westminster Abbey
A small crowd has gathered outside Westminster Abbey in central London, ahead of the service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Around 50 people have congregated beside barriers near the entrance to the abbey in an attempt to catch a glimpse of royal family members making their way inside.
The Queen will remember her husband of 73 years at the ceremony, which is also due to be attended by more than 20 close relatives including the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Cambridges.
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What will happen in the Prince Philip memorial service?
Prince Philip’s memorial service is expected to include several tributes to the late Duke’s extensive charitable work.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The service will give thanks for The Duke of Edinburgh’s dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the armed forces.
“The service will in particular pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life.”
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Queen WILL attend Prince Philip’s memorial service
The Queen will attend a memorial service for her beloved husband Prince Philip, it has been confirmed.
Her Majesty will join other members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Westminster Abbey on Tuesday.
In recent weeks the Queen has been forced to pull out of several high profile events, including Commonwealth Day, amid reports that the “frail” Queen has been using a wheelchair.
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What time is Prince Philip memorial service on TV?
Prince Philip’s memorial service will be televised live from Westminster Abbey on TODAY (March 29. 2022) from 10.30am until 12.15pm.
Westminster Abbey was the backdrop to where the Queen and Philip’s wedding took place in 1947, as well as the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
The announcement of the Thanksgiving service was made in 2021.
A statement from Buckingham Palace at the time read: “The Queen has agreed that a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh will take place in the spring of 2022 at Westminster Abbey.”
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Prince Andrew to attend memorial service
Senior royals, including the disgraced Prince Andrew, will be attending, along with William and Kate, fresh from their Caribbean tour.
But all royals — including Andrew, who was stripped of his military affiliations over sex abuse claims — will be wearing lounge suits and not military uniforms as they did for April’s funeral, insiders revealed.
Prince William was yesterday seen driving into Windsor Castle — his first chance to give an update on the tour since arriving home.
Today’s memorial is set to have the grandeur of a state funeral, with 27 royals flying in from around the globe and hundreds of guests.
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Philip’s missing funeral requests to be honoured today
The Duke of Edinburgh will be remembered as a “man of rare ability and distinction” at a poignant memorial service featuring elements he planned for his own funeral which were forbidden due to Covid-19 restrictions.
It is understood some of Philip’s older great-grandchildren may attend, giving the youngest generation of royals the chance to honour their much loved great-grandfather.
Missing gestures from Philip’s pre-pandemic arrangements will see Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations line the steps of Westminster Abbey as guests arrive.
The duke’s express wishes for the congregation to join and sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for the clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part will finally be granted on Tuesday.
Prayers will be said for the duke’s “gifts of character; for his humour and resilience; his fortitude and devotion to duty” by the Chapels Royal’s Sub-Dean, while “his energy and spirit of adventure” and “strength and constancy” will be heralded by royal estates’ clergy – known as the Queen’s domestic chaplains.
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Prince Charles on ‘stand-by’ to read MAJOR speech at State Opening of Parliament
PRINCE Charles is on standby to deliver the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament amid health concerns.
According to reports contingency plans are being prepared by palace and government officials to accommodate her absence should health or mobility issues prevent her from attending.
A royal source told the Sunday Times: “The date is in Her Majesty’s diary, and she hopes to attend. The Queen remains fit and active, and it is amazing how much she still does.
“But her diary is being paced to reflect the realities of a woman of her age, and to ensure that she is able to continue to do as much as she can and would like to do.
“All events will now be scheduled so that if Her Majesty is unable to attend at short notice, another member of the royal family will still be present.”
The news comes as the Queen has pulled out of a number of key occasions in the last six months due to concerns surrounding her health.
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Prince William beats Harry for ‘most attractive’ royal eyes
Prince William, 39, and Prince Harry, 37, have topped the most attractive male celebrity lists for years. The two Princes’ eyes have been compared by eye experts at Lenstore.
A spokesperson for Lenstore told Express.co.uk: “Prince William is revealed to have the third most attractive eyes among males in the public eye.
“This is according to the UK public.
“Nearly one in 10 (nine percent) of respondents in Lenstore’s survey found Prince William’s eyes the most attractive.
“This is out of the numerous options of influential personalities presented to them,” the expert claimed.
“Prince William has bright blue eyes.
“21 percent of respondents in Lenstore’s survey revealed they find blue eyes the most attractive.
“So perhaps it’s not so surprising that Prince William’s eyes top the list for most attractive male celebrity eyes.
“This is despite just 4 percent voting him as the most attractive male celebrity overall.
“When asked what characteristics each set of eyes indicated to the respondent, Prince William’s eyes correlated most with ‘humble’ (9.7 percent), ‘caring’ (11 percent) and also ‘sad’ (13.85 percent).”
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Oscars bosses were so keen for Harry & Meghan to present
ACADEMY Awards bosses were so keen for Prince Harry and wife Meghan to present the gong for Best Picture that they approached the couple last year.
Sources told how chiefs pulled out all the stops to make the offer attractive.
A source said: “Netflix were incredibly keen for their two big-name signings to be involved with this year’s Oscars.
“For the first time ever, streaming services, especially Netflix, have a chance of cleaning up and winning some big gongs.
“What better endorsement than for Meghan to be up there on stage?
“Quite a way to justify their £112million salary.
“Meghan is a huge supporter of women, and championing them, so Best Actress was an obvious category for her.
“Sadly, though, as soon as Kristen Stewart got the nod, she couldn’t possibly go on stage and risk handing over an award to the woman who played her husband’s late mother.
“So that idea was scrapped.”
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‘The brothers gave comfort to each other’
Duncan Larcombe, Royal Author and former Royal Editor of The Sun, told Fabulous: said that little is known about how Harry marks the day now that he is a father and lives in the USA, where Mother’s Day takes place on the second Sunday of May.
He commented: “Sources say the Duke of Sussex has already followed William’s style of sharing his mother’s memories with his kids.
“At least by focusing on their own children this year, William and Harry have something to distract them from the elephant in the room.
“Mother’s Day was always an occasion when the brothers gave comfort to each other – sadly one ‘family’ tradition that seems to have all but disappeared.”
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MOTHER’S Day holds ‘extra significance’ within the royal family as it ‘is shrouded in sadness for William and Harry’ following the death of Princess Diana.
While the day is one of celebration, paying tribute to the likes of Kate and also the Queen, it can be a painful day for Prince William and Prince Harry.
Duncan Larcombe, Royal Author and former Royal Editor of The Sun, told Fabulous: “It wasn’t until the aftermath of the Death of Princess Diana in 1997, that Mother’s Day took on an extra significance for the Royals.
“Since then, the fourth Sunday in the Christian festival of Lent – when Mother’s Day is marked in the UK – is shrouded in sadness for William and Harry.
“Both the boys have spoken about how difficult they find the day, which for years they would always dread.
“Prince Charles and the rest of the family were at pains to throw a ring of cotton wool around Diana’s children on the Mothering Sundays that followed her death.
“But this changed when first William and then Harry had children of their own.
“Now the focus is on using the day as a chance to tell their children about the amazing grandmother they never met.”
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Meghan Markle will ‘pull in big guns’
Spotify have revealed Meghan Markle’s new podcast, Archetypes, earlier this week.
This series will explore how stereotypes were born and their impact on women around the world.
Speaking on Pod Save The Queen, Russell Myers the royal editor at the Daily Mirror said that the Duchess will “pull in the big guns” for her newest venture.
He said: “This is going to be huge because she will pull in the big guns.
“You would imagine that she will have lots of very powerful, famous women and women who have overcome adversity to rise up through the ranks in whatever industry and field that they have become successful in.
“I think it’s hugely exciting.”
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What has Buckingham Palace said about Philip’s memorial tomorrow?
Prince Philip’s memorial service is expected to include several tributes to the late Duke’s extensive charitable work.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The service will give thanks for The Duke of Edinburgh’s dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the armed forces.
“The service will in particular pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life.”
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Thomas Markle blasts Prince Harry
Thomas markle has blasted Prince Harry’s choice not to return to the UK for Prince Philips memorial service.
In the most recent episode of Remarkable Friendship with Karl Larsen, Thomas has claimed that Harry’s decision is ‘the most hateful mean spirited, unforgivable thing anyone can do’.
He said: “I think it’s disrespectful for a man to abandon his country.
“Do I think it’s disrespectful for a man to abandon his grandmother and then refuse to attend his grandfather’s memorial ceremony and to also refuse to let the Queen see her grandchildren.
“It’s the most hateful, mean spirited unforgivable thing anyone can do.
“I send that right out to Harry, if you think you’re doing something good, You’re crazy.
“You’ll never be forgiven for what you’re doing.”
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Meghan & Harry are ‘gaining power’
Kate and Prince William changed their communications strategy after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed they were “gaining soft power” according to a commentator.
Eric Schiffer, a reputation management expert told Express.co.uk Meghan and Prince Harry are successfully connecting “at an emotional and value level” with young people across the world by championing causes close to their hearts – such as equality and the environment.
He added that they “are gaining soft power”.
He continued: “It has caused certainly William and Catherine to find new ways to connect, show more of their humanity, to be more active in ways that demonstrate their values aligning with young people – not just in Britain but also around the world.
“They are stealing a page back from Meghan and Harry’s playbook, and it is being successful in the UK.”
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Starmer: William could have said more on slavery during tour
The Duke of Cambridge should have gone further in his comments condemning slavery during a Caribbean tour, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said.
William faced calls to issue a public apology for slavery during the tour, which was marked by a series of controversies around the UK’s colonial past.
The duke denounced slavery as “abhorrent” and said “it should never have happened” but Sir Keir suggested he could have said more – and may do so in future.
William “could have gone further”, Sir Keir said, but he acknowledged “it’s a difficult one”.
“I think that he may go further in the future.”
William and Kate faced criticism during their eight-day tour, from accusations Belize locals were not consulted about a royal engagement to calls for slavery reparations from the monarchy in Jamaica.
Sir Keir acknowledged the duke and duchess were trying to communicate a difficult message at a time when links to the monarchy are being reconsidered in the three countries – Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica – visited on the tour.
“William and Kate went on an important trip with important messages, including messages about the changing nature of the Commonwealth going forwards, and that is difficult.”
The Labour leader said it was important for the Commonwealth to modernise to strengthen the bonds with the UK.
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Prince Edward ‘should have received patronage’ given to Camilla
Prince Edward should have been appointed the patron of the National Theatre, according to a royal watcher.
The co-host of the Royally Obsessed podcast, Roberta Fiorito, said: “I feel like it should have gone to Prince Edward.
“He left the Royal Marines for a career in theatre.
“He left it because he was unsure that that was his life calling and he actually did do a lot with the theatre community — he was an amateur actor for a lot of his life.”
Ms Fiorito also suggested that this move may be a sign of Prince Charles’s plan for a slimmed down monarchy – which is already being put in motion.
She said: “There’s also this talk, probably just rumours, about him not getting the Duke of Edinburgh title when Charles becomes king, that he might not give it to him, so it feels like Charles is already slimming down the monarchy.”
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How to watch Prince Phillip’s service?
Tomorrow’s service will be streamed live on BBC One from 10.30am and will see royals from across Europe jetting in for the ceremony and 500 guests from his charities and patronages.
A Palace spokesman said last week: “The service will give thanks for The Duke of Edinburgh’s dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the armed forces.
“The service will in particular pay tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh’s contribution to public life and steadfast support for the over 700 charitable organisations with which His Royal Highness was associated throughout his life.”
It comes after Prince Philip’s funeral was scaled down last April due to Covid rules.
Disgraced Prince Andrew is set to attend the service in his first public bash since Philip’s funeral.
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Queen ‘determined’ to attend ‘very important’ Prince Philip service
The Queen is determined to attend Prince Philip’s memorial service on Tuesday, a royal expert has claimed.
Her Majesty, 95, is expected to join members of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey for the Duke of Edinburgh’s service of thanksgiving, although a final decision will not be made until tomorrow morning.
The monarch missed the Commonwealth Day ceremony earlier this month due to concerns about her “comfort”.
She has also been seen using a walking stick over the last six months and recently told a visitor at Windsor Castle: “As you can see, I can’t move.”
But Her Majesty recently received a £62,000 golf buggy to help her get around – and there are hopes this could help her fulfil future engagements.
Asked whether she will attend the service tomorrow, royal biographer Angela Levin told Sky News: “Well she says yes, because she’s now got her golf, little car and it’s big enough to take the corgis in as well.
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Jeremy Vine guest takes aim at the royal family
A guest on Jeremy Vine has said that the royal family should be removed entirely.
Political commentator Marina Purkiss said: “The idea of royalty, to me, is fantasy.
“It should be put in a box with fairies and goblins and dwarves. It’s nonsense, it’s just nonsense.
“I can’t believe we all play around this charade. Fair play to William for accepting there is a need to change but I don’t think he should be saving it.
“I think he should be bowing out, this is time to check out.”
