Prince Philips Funeral.

Could the Queen have made a bubble with Charles and Camilla. They could have sat with her then. Just asking ?

Can a bubble be made in a week ?

An amazing tribute to Prince Philip. Good to see William and Kate and Harry walking together afterwards. Let's hope they resolve their differences. The Queen looked very alone ! I agree with an earlier post that it did seem like a family funeral - which if course it was! Less ceremony and no crowds and all the better for it.

It had everything didn't it?
Military precision, which we do like no other country.
Stirring music.
Perfect weather.
And at the heart of it all, just one family grieving and laying to rest their much-loved and well-respected patriarch.
So moving.
RIP Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and thank you for a wonderful day.

I watched it live here in the North western U.S. Although I emigrated 48 years ago the service for the Duke made me very proud to be (still) be British.

I fancied the Queen turned and looked behind her when entering the church out of habit, looking/waiting for Phillip. So very, very sad to see her alone and grieving.

This very morning the wild serviceberry shrubs started to bloom in our valley;

"The berry became known by this name, ‘serviceberry’, because the plant blossoms early in the spring. This would let settlers in northern locations know that the ground was supposedly thawed enough for graves to be dug to bury those in the community who had died during the long winter.

Crossing the Bar
Alfred Lord Tennyson - 1809-1892

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have cross’d the bar.

It’s all been said and I can only echo the earlier comments.

Boogaloo

I watched it live here in the North western U.S. Although I emigrated 48 years ago the service for the Duke made me very proud to be (still) be British.

I fancied the Queen turned and looked behind her when entering the church out of habit, looking/waiting for Phillip. So very, very sad to see her alone and grieving.

This very morning the wild serviceberry shrubs started to bloom in our valley;

"The berry became known by this name, ‘serviceberry’, because the plant blossoms early in the spring. This would let settlers in northern locations know that the ground was supposedly thawed enough for graves to be dug to bury those in the community who had died during the long winter.

That’s fascinating Boogaloo!

MaizieD

It was perfect. Can't say more, can I?

We caught bits of the earlier parts of the broadcast and I felt so sorry for all the military having to stand motionless in the Great Park for so long. My unfeeling DP said that they were trained to do it..

My son was in the Royal Marines, and when he had to do Cenotaph duty, his unit had to practise standing still for 3 hours. I still have the tape of that Remembrance Day.

I thought the funeral was beautifully done, being both a family and a national event, very dignified and moving.
Thank you Callistemon for 'Crossing the Bar'. DH (ex RN) has a Naval Engineers magazine which lists those who have 'crossed the bar'. The poem is very emotional and would make a good funeral reading.

It was very, very sad. I felt sorry for the Queen as she sat all alone. She could indeed have formed a bubble with one of her children now she is all alone. It’s sad that it didn’t happen.
It was a fitting tribute to the man, Prince Philip. RIP.

Good to read kind, thoughtful posts here. I feel that Prince Philip passing has dimmed a light.
As a small child I saw on film the wedding of ‘our Princess’ and a storybook Prince. Although now she is alone I hope the love and respect of millions, as well as her close family, can begin to comfort her in the days to come.

We stayed up until the early hours watching it even though we are not royalist. It was a moving and tasteful tribute. Have to say there is nowhere in the world that could do it better. The end of an era and he was sent off in wonderful style. I hope the Queen receives wonderful support from her family as I am sure she will.

rubysong

I thought the funeral was beautifully done, being both a family and a national event, very dignified and moving.
Thank you Callistemon for 'Crossing the Bar'. DH (ex RN) has a Naval Engineers magazine which lists those who have 'crossed the bar'. The poem is very emotional and would make a good funeral reading.

I thought it was fitting, rubysong

It's always sad to hear or read just how many have crossed the bar and I did wonder if it might be read at the funeral.

Yes, a lovely service. We felt so sad for the Queen too, she needed a hug from her family. She is so stoic and having to say goodbye to the love of her life in the public eye must have been one of the hardest things she has ever had to do. I think she is amazing and almost 95! God Bless and RIP DOE.

It was a very fitting funeral for the man he was and of course we do pomp and pageantry better than any other country.
I’m pleased it was conducted entirely with the current COVID guidelines. An example to us all.

oh gosh, I chickened out, still grieving etc.
I was crying on and off throughout the day, just hearing/seeing clips.

thank you for these excerpts.
and thank you all for your comments

a very sad for for so many of us, God Bless and Save our wonderful Queen.

I'm so sad for the Queen, losing your lifelong partner is hard at the best of times but must be even harder when convention dictates that your life is quite constrained so that there are few people with whom you can be truly open.
I felt that it was instrusive to have cameras in the chapel, the close family deserve privacy at a time like this.

I really don't think the queen should have been sat alone in the funeral service. Neither should anyone at that age when burying their spouse. She could have fainted or been taken ill and needed support as could anyone at a funeral. Surely the lady in waiting, Charles or William could have sat with her. A queen is still a human being and should have had support.
Really hoping William and Harry get back together on friendly terms too. Life is too short for grudges.

sorry, slip of the finger "intrusive"

I thought the whole thing was magnificent. Not the 'low key' event I was expecting. All those servicemen marching then blending in with other regiments with incredible precision were so impressive. The carriage and ponies did me in. The well worn cap and gloves seemed more touching somehow than the formal cap and sword on the coffin. It was lovely to see all the chefs and house staff out too.
The service was immaculate. All anyone could expect. The Queen was wonderful (of course).
I'm sure she'll have organised a good tea for all the servicemen. I hope she had a good cup of tea and a quiet moment to herself after it all but suspect that she'll have stayed for a small tea party with the family. There's plenty of space for social distancing at Windsor Castle after all!

Eleanor and Harris27, I too loved the carriage and the ponies, the cap, the gloves, the blanket......but did wonder what the jar with lid symbolised, and this morning it was said on one of the news programmes it was what Prince Philip kept the sugar lumps for the ponies in. As has been said a truly fitting funeral for a "relativity down to earth Prince". A funeral that gave us pomp and ceremony but a pared back pandemic option.

The whole service/celebration of his life was a very fitting tribute. Britain excels in these circumstances always with military precision and timing. Gosh I was nervous when they carried PP up the steps and had to stop half way.

Whitewavemark2

This moved me

“LOOK at the rainbow and praise its Maker; it shines with a supreme beauty, rounding the sky with its gleaming arc, a bow bent by the hands of the Most High. His command speeds the snow storm and sends the swift lightning to execute his sentence. To that end the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds. By his mighty power the clouds are piled up and the hailstones broken small. The crash of his thunder makes the earth writhe, and, when he appears, an earthquake shakes the hills. At his will the south wind blows, the squall from the north and the hurricane. He scatters the snow-flakes like birds alighting; they settle like a swarm of locusts. The eye is dazzled by their beautiful whiteness, and as they fall the mind is entranced. He spreads frost on the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed stakes. A cold blast from the north, and ice grows hard on the water, settling on every pool, as though the water were putting on a breastplate. He consumes the hills, scorches the wilderness, and withers the grass like fire. Cloudy weather quickly puts all to rights, and dew brings welcome relief after heat. By the power of his thought he tamed the deep and planted it with islands. Those who sail the sea tell stories of its dangers, which astonish all who hear them; in it are strange and wonderful creatures, all kinds of living things and huge sea-monsters. By his own action he achieves his end, and by his word all things are held together.”

I think this together with Psalm 104 reflected Philips love for the natural world.

The Flowers of the Forest finished me off!!

I would have preferred the King James version, its more musical.

I didn't manage to watch. From what I have read and from GN contributors I would gather the service was just what the man wanted and probably even more so without all the pomp and ceremony had usual dignatories were attending. Did admire the man's forthrightness.