As Queen Elizabeth II diligently plans her final farewell to her husband, Prince Philip‘s funeral that will take place Saturday, she has been left heartbroken upon discovering that she cannot fulfill one of the wishes he had for his funeral the proper way.
In life and death, the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh knew precisely what he wanted.
Prince Philip died “peacefully” at his home in Windsor Castle after a lengthy hospitalization due to heart issues and an infection.
A source close to the royal family explained that Duke of Edinburgh was granted his wish of passing away at home and added: “It was the Duke’s fervent wish to die peacefully at home. When he was taken home, we knew that it was to die on his own terms, not in a hospital bed, but in his own bed. Philip didn’t want any fuss. He wanted to do things his way until the end.”
Before his passing, Queen Elizabeth’s spouse explained all he wanted for his funeral. According to royal experts, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had wished that the special hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (For Those in Peril on the Sea),” play at his funeral.
Inspired by a Bible scripture found in the book of Pslams, the British hymn, which is titled “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” was written by William Whiting in 1860, with some of the lyrics focusing on the dangers of the sea.
Here is a portion of the lyrics: “Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.”
Due to the regulations put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic virus, the somber ceremony has been scaled down.
Only 30 people, including Prince William and Prince Harry will attend, which implies it will not be possible to have an orchestra, a choir play the song for Prince Philip’s family.
Royal commentator Eve Pollard said it is hard for the Queen not to have music at the small gathering and added: “Apparently Prince Philip was very keen for that naval hymn, ‘For those in peril on the Sea.’I think the idea of there being no music, no bugler, no choir, nothing to help the royal thought this would be very hard.”
She added: “Prince Philip himself said put me in a Land Rover and send me up to Windsor. That’s all I want. It is his dream of a very quiet funeral, and it will be perhaps very special.”
While she cannot do things the way Philip wanted, it is believed that Her Majesty will instead have music chosen by Philip played on loudspeakers in the church.
Philip was eligible to have but did not want a state funeral as consort to the Queen, and he explained that he did not want the “fuss.”
Philip wanted the funeral to be short, and the Queen will respect his wishes by having a sermon, and there will be no eulogy delivered.
It has been confirmed that no members of the royal family will give a reading.
For 16 years, Prince Philip designed and modified a dark green Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle that will be his hearse.
