Prince Philip’s funeral has been set for April 17th, next Saturday. The funeral – which is not a state funeral – will be held at St. George’s Chapel, which is on the grounds of the Windsor Castle complex. It will be broadcast live and I would assume most British channels will cover it, and perhaps even a few American and Commonwealth channels will too. They’re planning a smaller gathering, “much reduced in scale with no public access” because of Covid restrictions. We’re also hearing more about Philip’s final weeks at Windsor, following his release from the hospital in mid-March.
Prince Philip spent much his final days sleeping, according to a new report — but in his best waking hours, he soaked in the sun with a blanket on his lap and Queen Elizabeth at his side, according to a new report. And she was at his bedside when his end came at Windsor Castle on Friday morning at age 99, the UK’s Telegraph reported of Philip. The Duke of Edinburgh had insisted, according to the Telegraph, that he would die in his own bed.
“There were moments of great lucidity and joyful togetherness,” even toward the end, wrote Richard Kay, Editor-at-Large at the Daily Mail and a former top royal correspondent and gossip columnist there. He could walk, though with difficulty and using a cane.
“Occasionally, he would allow himself to be pushed in a wheelchair, but staff were very wary of suggesting it,” Kay wrote. “When it first appeared in the private rooms he shouted: ‘Get that bloody thing out of my sight,’ recalls an aide. Philip ate little, Kay’s report said, and had discontinued the 7:30 a.m. tray of morning tea traditionally delivered to his bed by a valet or page. And he declined many of the other trays of food that would be brought up later in the day.
But on his best days, as recently as early this week, he still read and wrote letters. And he’d dress in a shirt, pressed trousers and polished shoes, and ask for a chair to be brought outside. There in the sunshine, overlooking the castle’s scenic grounds, he’d nod off “with a rug over his legs,” the report said. At the very end, his last wish was fulfilled — to die in the comforts of home, instead of in the hospital, as a royal source told The Post.
The Mail’s sources confirmed that the Queen was at his bedside when he passed, and sources say that he began to deteriorate rapidly throughout Thursday, the day and the evening. Some suggested taking him back to the hospital but the Queen refused, likely because she knew his wishes and knew he would prefer to die in his own bed. One source said: “He spent most of the four weeks he was in hospital trying to get home. They operated on his heart in a bid to give him a little longer, maybe with the 100th birthday in mind. But he didn’t really care about that… There is no way he would have wanted to die in hospital.”
Reportedly, the Queen knew it was coming and she had been preparing herself for it. Her former press secretary Charles Ansen told People: “She would have thought about this moment several times, and her way would be to remain as steady and as calm as possible. That comes naturally to her through her temperament and her experience. In my years of working for her she was always calm, no matter what was going on. But for any human being, this is a very cathartic moment.”
The official Windsor IG posted this as well. Lovely photo by Annie Leibovitz.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Backgrid, social media.
This might sound incredibly wrong but in a way Philips death was a gift to the tabloids. Brace yourself for the hundreds of articles talking about prince harry’s body language and how the brothers were able to “heal” without meghan there. I wish he could just fly in and out. But since he needs a negative covid test he will probably be in the UK for a few days before flying back.
It’s certainly taken the focus of Dan Wootton’s unhinged letter to William.
That letter should get Wootton fired. If not that, there should be a defamation lawsuit headed his direction from California.
If it were published in a U.S. paper, I’d say there was no way any lawsuit would fly. But the British libel laws, which are ridiculously strict and difficult to defend against, may be able to be used for good.* What I’m thinking of in particular is that Wootton claimed Meghan did not forgive Kate. That’s a lie, in print, intended to defame.
*I’m opposed to Britain’s libel laws because they allow things like holocaust denier David Irving to sue historians for calling him a holocaust denier.
The tabloids will probably milk William and Harry. I am, at this time, not the slightest bit interested in either. They are certainly not on BBC, our main TV channel,giving tributes to the Duke. Only his own children are doing that.
And let the white washing of Phillip begin. This man…..I have no nice words, so I’ll leave it at that. As a woman of color from a former British colony, I just have absolutely no fucks to give and the Brits can miss me with their hypocrisy.
@BABSORIG
Seriously!! Devoted consort, my ass. Those men f*ck around on their spouses (idk about Edward, and I hope not Harry) on the regular.
If Harry isn’t on a plane right now, he will be soon. He will be quarantined at an undisclosed location for 5 days, and completely out of sight until he appears at the funeral itself. He will be on a plane home within 24 hours after the funeral. There will be little or no visible interaction with his brother. They will be seated separately in the chapel and whatever conversations they have will be away from any cameras.
Harry has arrived in the U.K, and is rumoured to be self isolating at Nottingham Cottage.
I imagine it is very difficult on her the loss of a person that has been there for more than 70 years. At least he got to go on his own terms at home.
Agree Lauren. I just finished reading an excellent bio on Phillip and Elizabeth by Gyles Brandreth. Phillip had one chaotic childhood so dying peacefully in a place he loved with his wife by his side was a gift. An interesting man. Having been married 43 years, I can only imagine the Queen’s loss of the man who has been her husband, her friend, and her confident for over 70 years as they knew each other from the time she was 13 and he was 18. Whatever your ups and downs and how you accomodate each other in your relationship, that is one long run. I wish her well and am glad Harry will get to share in grieving with her.
On a side note, I think it’s disgusting that he’s not even buried and yet ‘aides’ are selling him out to the 🐀Rota. Shame. Shame. Shame.
Windsor Great Park was one of his passions – he did a lot to that park over the years and it is a beautiful place to visit. Massive at 5,000 acres and has lots of places to go etc.. Also you can’t beat the Long Walk for a scenic stroll on a summers day.
TBH all the Royal Parks are well kept places to visit, Richmond Park is one of my favourites.
The irony is Prince Philip in a bid to appease the media agreed for the coronation to be televised and later for the documentary. It had the opposite effect, they were now imprisoned in a glass window like the Truman show with at least one family actively seeking validation from the vultures.
Well tbf I understand his mindset at the time. The royals were increasingly seen as not in touch with the public. Something very distant. I do think that if they hadn’t made those modernizations at the time, they would have gotten rid of the royals in the 60’s or 70’s. Becoming a more familiar face with the public (unfortunately through tabloids) gave them longevity.
But yes it was the early stages of the golden cage they are in now. Somewhere along the way they lost the balance
The Coronation being televised makes plenty of sense, nothing to question there frankly. The Royal Family documentary, he regretted that one.
I watched the documentary recently on YouTube and l found very little wrong with it.
It was inevitable though. There is no way in modern times with 24/7 media coverage, and now social media, they ever would have been able to stay within a protected bubble. Those days were gone long ago.
My grandfather passed away in his sleep at home. It was a blessing. My grandmother, mother and uncle were with him when he passed.
I’m glad Phillip was able to sped his final days as he wanted with the Queen by his side.
I very much doubt tht betty was by his side when he died.
Consider: no time-of-death has been stated so far but the announcrment of his death was “just after noon” on Friday. Given tht the announcement wd hv been made some time AFTER the death occured (doctor had to proclaim him dead; officials then begin to effect the relevant protocols; etc) then we can assume time-of-death to hv been up to 2hrs or so, before the public announcement.
Do u see a privileged old lady, used to her morning rituals, being made to sit & wait & watch her husband die?
Given tht we’re told tht he’d been failing since Thursday, she wd hv been told of the likelihood of him not making it thru the night so I’m sure tht the first thing she planned to do after completing her morning ritual (waking up/getting cleaned up/getting dressed/hvng her tea…all with the help of her attendant) was to visit her husband. It is my belief tht he died before she ciuld visit and she was informed, then she went to him.
I’m not trying to be mean abt this but my standard operating procedure is to disbelieve the version of things coming from the men-in-grey and everyone else in that Firm & Family, especially via the lens of the RotaRats.
Rmbr, these are the same type of folks who murdered King George V because his death at 11:55pm could then be conveniently announced in the morning papers.
@Carmen Jam-Rock
I’m of the same mind on this. My disbelief is an automatic reflex at this point.
They forget that they prattle on about these protocols and when it’s convenient, spout just the opposite. And no, this lady probably was not at his bedside, but, ushered there after he died. They probably also needed time to get rid of “the other companion” a la Eleanor Roosevelt.
@carmen jam-rock, I wish you would have skipped my post. I actually don’t care to dive into the deep history of the British monarchy atm. I actually don’t care about his time of death or his companion. I said what I said about MY GRANDFATHER because I understand what it means for an elderly woman to lose her husband of more than half a damn century. It is devastating. There is no other person who has gone through what the two of them have gone through, together.
They *first* put out he had died during the “night” in his sleep. As we know, NOTHING wakes the Queen before her rising time. I agree that she probably went in after she woke in the morning.
And realistically, while she is pretty alert for a 94 yr. old, staying up awake all night is not likely to happen.
You may not be trying to be mean, but that is a really ugly sentiment.
@carmen-jamrock – you misunderstand me. I’m not skeptical. I say it was an ugly sentiment.
It is a wonderful blessing when people get a “good death,” peaceful and surrounded by love and loved ones. I’m glad your grandfather passed that way.
@Betsy, thank you. It was a small comfort. He was in pain and tired. He was ready to rest.
Um…..@TheOriginalMia….Phillip was not ur grandfather. U do know tht, rt?
And @Betsy……its a truth universally acknowledged tht even fact-based, reasonable and well-reasoned arguments hv skeptics.
C’est la vie.
@Carmen-JamRock what’s up with the snark towards the OP? @TheOriginalMia is right, you should have skipped their post.
Your argument doesn’t relate to the point they were making and it’s kind of weird that you chose to try to straw-man/project it onto what they had said instead of just making your argument with your own separate post.
Being with your loved one for 70 years is blessing. Her majesty is lucky lady to have a husband like Philip. In the beginning philip cheated on her and hate her family and their rule. But later on he respected her and honour her. Charles and William definitely should note that letting your wife shine doesnt make you less of a man. Couples like this wont be apart from each other long time. I think in few years or months queen pass away I wont be surprised. Look at bush senior and his wife they passed away withing months of eachother.
A lot of the royals are difficult to put in a particular box. Philip was no exception, and being married for seventy years would not be easy. All that being said, it was pretty openly known that Philip continued to have “companions” even through this year. Again, I’m not trying to pass judgement on either of them, as being married that long would require some compromise and adjustments, I’m sure.
I think Philip cheated on her at the beginning, in the middle and towards the end.
I’ve become creeped out by and deeply averse to news of the royal family coming from sources speaking either anonymously or, if named, speaking conditionally like this former press sec. It’s just putting words in RF mouths, or it’s cowardice on the part of the RF. Say it with your chest RF, through a spokesperson, or don’t say it at all and then people know to ignore these articles.
I agree. It’s very off putting.
@Common — most of us do know to ignore these articles — DM, Sun, Mirror, In Touch, People etc. They are really only used for confirmation bias.
Most of us is still a teeny tiny fraction of the public. These articles spread to the masses and set the UK royal narrative. One of the toughest and most annoying things for me to accept has been that CBers and Sussex Squad are such a minority compared to readers of British tabloids. Non-UK media used to treat British tabloid coverage as credible until Thee Interview, and even then, the sheer volume of new stories has diminished the impact of the interview if you ask me, especially with UK tabloids and royal reporters infiltrating US media. Meghan’s name has been trashed, and the people trashing it (her in-laws) have more than adequate cover from unnamed sources. The royal family is believed to not complain or explain, despite complaining and explaining through sources *all*the* time*. When news of celebs comes from unnamed sources, it’s not really believed. UK royal news from unnamed sources is treated as gospel, and the royal agenda advances without consequences for them. I hate that.
I don’t disagree with what you are saying, but I also believe that the vast majority of the general public…don’t care?
We the gossip mongers ARE a teeny tiny fraction of the public.
Aside from actual birth, marriage or death announcements, I don’t know a soul who treats ‘royal news’ as gospel…or news.
It sounds like he had as comfortable an ending as possible, IDK if that sounds weird to say. But he got to go out on his own terms with the Queen by his side.
Sad to say, this story makes me skeptical. Previously he wanted to be at Wood Farm with a different companion, so what changed his mind? Was this his final “royal service”?
Daily Mail ran a story about his carriage riding companion yesterday..they were friends was the official word.
@equality: Me too. It just sounds like pr spin.
I think Windsor Castle is probably better equipped to give what was basically palliative care – its bigger and they likely had a Dr on call at the premises so it makes sense to me that he was in his private rooms there.
Of course, Windsor makes more sense then Wood Farm with the size and the fact that staff wouldn’t have to split to take care of him and the Queen. But until Covid, that’s where he was, with his friend/compaction Penny. Seems as though that’s where he wanted to spend his final years of “awareness”, and was kind of forced to come back due to staffing. He could have decided to at the end be with his wife but I will be honest, I did wonder how Penny was doing and how she is nowhere on any funeral lists. And maybe it was one of those old historical stories where the minute the King/Prince dies, the mistress/friend goes into exile. I don’t know if she was a mistress in the most explicit sense but it sounds like she was his most constant companion these last decades.
To add: I do feel badly speculating about Penny when the Queen has lost her husband of over 70 years. That must be an additional blow to her, to have someone else also be know as his companion. Hopefully she is sound in what they had and content with all of her years with him.
Me as well. If true it’s sad he couldn’t have died at Woodfarm with Penny at his side.
Prehaps Betty and Penny were at his bedside, just one got erased. Nothing would surprise me with these people.
@bamaborn could be. I read somewhere once Queen Alexandra invited one of Edward 7ths mistresses as he died or shortly thereafter. A lot of this social crowd just has those sorts of assumed arrangements.
@Katherine, that story isn’t actually true. It was made up by the mistress in question who wanted to give herself a place in the final narrative. She was very firmly kept out of the King’s chambers, on Queen Alexandra’s orders, by the people in charge.
Let’s see if Penny makes it to the funeral. The Queen has accepted her.
No, Covid stopped Philip from dying at Wood Farm. He was forced to live under the same roof as the Queen again so that they could form one isolation bubble along with the staff needed to look after them.
He was 99 and in recent years wasn’t in the best of health, he had a good inning. It was obvious after his last hospital stay that it wasn’t good and clearly the family knew it was only a matter of time.
Agree, I think he had a small rally at the hospital and they knew, which is why he was sent home.
From what I am reading it appears that they knew the end was near for Philip. I saw that the footmen/women at Buckingham Palace had been practicing how to post the news of Philip’s passing this week. So it’s interesting that despite the obviously somber news that Philip was not long for this world, William kept forging ahead with his unhinged PR. Philip’s passing happened to coincide with the arrival of Dan Wooten as the new royal mouthpiece at the Fail and we can see what event won out. It’s interesting now to see how Wooten frames his articles in the next few weeks while they are in mourning.
“it’s interesting that despite the obviously somber news that Philip was not long for this world, William kept forging ahead with his unhinged PR.”
Good point Harper. The family (ie William) must have known this was the case and yet he forged ahead all these weeks. He’s really sick in the head at this point. Frighteningly so. I hope Harry brings VERY good protection to the UK.
But Will and Wooten will get a pass on “stressing” Philip with bad press.
@MipMip, or, it could be that William didn’t know. And if he didn’t know, or didn’t care to know just how serious his grandfather’s condition was, then why didn’t he bother enlightening himself?
Ofc, that’s just a possibility. But either way, it’s bad. Either way, it speaks to a man who’s so involved in his own petty rages, that he doesn’t give a f-ck abt what’s going on around him.
At 99 there is only so much you can do for a person before the body says “no more” – even with the best doctors working with you. HM probably knew this and knew a hospital trip would be futile as it wouldn’t save him so kept him at home so they could spend their last moments together in their home.
“[The Queen] was at his bedside when his end came at Windsor Castle on Friday morning…”
If true, it must be some solace to the Queen that her lifelong partner got his final wish to pass away in his home, rather than in a hospital.
But, to be honest, it’s too late for me — I don’t believe a word that comes from any of the palaces, nor from the royal “experts” in the British media.
I feel a bit badly for thinking this way but they’ve proven (to me, at least) time and time again that nothing they say/report can be taken at face value.
May you take your rest in peace, Duke.
The lack of interest in food, turning away meals, is an indication the end is coming. May he Rest In Peace.
So true Lightpurple. The people I’ve lost these past few years followed the same pattern. They refused food, water, medicine and simply lost interest. All they wanted was to leave peacefully in their home surrounded by those they love. The Queen was there and I’m sure that gave them both comfort. 70 years is a lifetime to be with someone.
RIP Prince Phillip
The same happened with my mom. She slowly stopped eating as much until she ate almost nothing in her last few days. I couldn’t get her to take her meds that the docs gave her when left the hospital the night before. I remember thinking that I wasn’t going to fight her as we had just spent half a day in the ER, I’ll figure it out in the morning but she was gone when I woke up.
Sleeping more and refusing food are classic signs of end of life (especially loss of appetite). A hospital journey would have been pointless. I’m glad he got his final wish.
My mother had all these same signs just prior to her death at 97. I had a strong gut feeling that she was going to pass, actually the day after her birthday, and made sure l was with her when she did so at home. I’m very thankful for that.
Yes, that is the strongest indication refusing food.
I’m so sad for the Queen. She has outlived so many close people in her life. I’m glad the Duke got his final wish. He led a fascinating and complex life.
The Queen must be drained. Vigils are hard. And now there’s all the business of the funeral. I hope her team are doing all the busy work and letting her rest. Her mind must be turning in so many directions, such a long life together
He was 99, my guess is the funeral arrangements have been in the books for a decade with regular Covid updates over the last year.
Though that part doesn’t erase the toll end of life takes on those watching it happen.
I don’t think that at 90 plus the Queen could have undertaken a bedside vigil.
Covid has made it all different because only 30 family/friends going to be at his funeral. His male private secretary is definitely confirmed as going to be there. I am very, very keen to know if any of the Mountbattens will be there. He missed Louis’s christening a couple of years ago because he was godfather a day or two later to Penny Romsey’s grandchild. This could have been the baby whose mother Charles gave away at her wedding.
I am almost certain, by the way she spoke of his passing today, that Sophie was there when the Duke died. If she was there Andrew and Edward definitely there. Andrew lives even nearer the Castle.
Sophie gave exact details of his passing though – it was as if someone had led him by the hand. She would not have repeated the Queen’s words.
I would hope that someone from the Mountbatten side shows up. That is his family after all, the closest set of relations he’s ever had in Britain.
Yes, it would be odd if no one from his side was present. I am betting on Penny Romsey along with someone else.
Where was Penny?
His com-Penny-on?
I’ll see myself out.
This hits home. My Grandfather, a retired three star General in the Air Force and an all around incredible man, passed away at the end of February, four days after his 100th birthday. I had traveled down to FL where he lived to spend his birthday with him, and was there when he passed. While on a much smaller scale, his passing was also announced via social media, online outlets and local news. I wish we could have had a larger send off for him, but my Dad said he didn’t want a large service anyway.