Peter Hunt

A stripped-down tribute to a century of service

Image: Getty

It was a stripped-down service, pared back to its essentials by a prince and by a pandemic. Covid-19 shrunk the congregation and forced the thirty, mostly royal mourners who made the cut to wear masks, observe social distancing and resist the urge to sing, even when it was the National Anthem.

Prince Philip had ensured it captured and amplified his affinity with the sea and for the military. He signed off its crucial elements back in 2003. At his insistence there was no sermon. As he once remarked, ‘the mind cannot absorb what the backside cannot endure’.

The noises off of recent days were silenced. The fuss over uniforms forgotten. William and Harry, having failed to walk side by side behind their grandfather’s coffin as it was brought to the chapel, did do just that when they left the service. They chatted. They have much to talk about and resolve.

Inside St George’s Chapel the focus was on a departed duke and a monarch in mourning.

Written by
Peter Hunt
Peter Hunt is a commentator on the monarchy and constitutional issues. He is a former BBC diplomatic and royal correspondent. He tweets at @_PeterHunt

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