On the 29th of March 2022, a Memorial Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey took place for the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort and husband of Her Majesty The Queen for 73 years.
Prince Philip died on the 9th of April 2021 at age 99 and his funeral took place on April 17th.
Following a lifetime of shared commitment to service and duty on behalf of the UK and the Commonwealth, the Queen was at Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to her late husband.
The couple were married on 20 Nov. 1947 at Westminster Abbey, when then Princess Elizabeth was only 21 yrs old.
The Service which commemorated the life of the late Duke of Edinburgh, also recognised the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces.
The Queen, Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Royal all wore dark green for the service – a similar shade to Edinburgh Green, the duke’s livery colour.
Elements of the Service also incorporated some features originally planned for the Funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh, which were unable to go ahead due to Covid restrictions in place at the time.
Flowers for the Service also included orchids that were used in Her Majesty’s 1947 wedding bouquet.
There was an impressive list of European Royalty attending the service. Highly unusual to have so many in one place.
They included:
- King & Queen of Belgium
- Queen of Denmark
- King & Queen of the Netherlands
- King & Queen of Spain
- King & Queen of Sweden
- Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece
- Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia
- Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain
The hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, also intended for the funeral, was sung, and there was music by Beethoven, JS Bach, Wagner, Vaughan Williams and William Byrd heard during the service.
Members of the British Royal Family were also in attendance, including:
- Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with their two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte
- Anne, Princess Royal and her husband Timothy Lawrence
- Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with their husbands, Edo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank
- Prince Edward, his wife Sophie Countess of Wessex and their two children, Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn
- Zara and Mike Tindall, with their daughter Mia Tindall
- Peter Philips, the Queen’s grandson, with his daughters Savannah and Isla Phillips
- Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
- Daniel Chatto and Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret’s only daughter.
and many more
You can watch the memorial service HERE.
This great man had a sense of duty, patriotism, self-sacrifice, modesty and common sense – all virtues that will guarantee that our Monarchy endures.
“Life is going to go on after me, if I can make life marginally more tolerable for people who come afterwards or even at the time I’d be delighted.”
– HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
May the Duke of Edinburgh rest in peace
And God Save The Queen!!
Royal Family GB 