Farewell To A True Hero: The Funeral Of The Duke Of Edinburgh

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a black mask and seated alone, said goodbye to her husband of more than 73 years, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at his funeral on Saturday 17th April at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle…

Almost 100 years after he entered the world on a dining room table in Corfu, Prince Philip’s final journey began at exactly 14.38 BST on a chilly spring afternoon in the English town of Windsor.

The Duke’s coffin was carried by Grenadier Guardsmen from the inner hall of Windsor Castle. The Grenadier Guards, a centuries-old regiment of the British Army, which the Duke of Edinburgh served as a colonel for more than four decades, placed his coffin on a hearse that the Prince helped design. The vehicle, a modified Land Rover Defender, then led a small procession toward St. George’s Chapel, also on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

It is said that he often told the Queen when discussing his funeral that he wanted his body to be ‘stuck’ in the back of a Land Rover and ‘driven to Windsor’. She abided by those wishes. The Land Rover’s poignant role in the funeral proceedings always formed part of Operation Forth Bridge – the codename given to the plans following Prince Philip’s death.

The process of designing the hearse began 18 years ago, and tweaks were still being made up until 2019. The open-top rear section was custom-made to Prince Philip’s specifications, and the original vehicle was repainted “dark bronze green,” typical of military use, at his request.