Sergeant Donald C Todd RLC/ UK Ministry of Defence 2021
Under bright spring sunshine, rehearsals for the funeral of Prince Philip have been taking place. Members of the Army, Navy and RAF have been practising every aspect of the ceremony which will see the Duke of Edinburgh laid to rest.
Soldiers from the Welsh Guards bow their heads during rehearsals for the funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh
(photo SAC Tom Cann RAF/ UK Mniistry of Defence 2021)
While mourners in the congregation at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor on April 17th are limited to just 30 because of coronavirus restrictions, hundreds of service personnel will take part in the ceremonial of the funeral. They are all classed as working on the day meaning they come under different pandemic rules. However, the pandemic had a direct impact on the start of rehearsals. As soon as the death of the Duke of Edinburgh was announced, just after noon on April 9th 2021, a major operation was launched to bring all the personnel required together for practice but also to ensure Covid screening took place quickly and effectively, to protect all those taking part in the funeral.