prince philip memorial
Royals

Prince Philip memorial service: 6 special moments which were denied at his funeral

The Duke got a very different send off this year

The memorial service for Prince Philip today looked very different to his funeral last year.

A large-scale event was held on Tuesday to celebrate the life of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Due to Covid restrictions at the time of his death last April, the Royal Family were unable to throw a traditional funeral.

Instead, only 30 people attended to mourn the loss of Philip.

The Cambridge family at the Prince Philip memorial today
The memorial for Prince Philip took place today (Credit: SplashNews.com)

How is Prince Philip’s memorial different from his funeral?

However, Prince Philip’s memorial hasn’t faced the same restrictive guidelines.

As a result, the celebration of the Duke’s life looked as many would have expected his funeral to be.

Here’s six moments which were able to happen at the memorial service today.

For starters, around 1,800 people attended on Tuesday (March 29).

Read more: Prince George and Princess Charlotte pictured at Prince Philip’s memorial

Secondly, Philip’s family in the UK and Europe were invited, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex being the only close relatives missing.

Next, some of the Duke’s favourite hymns were also sung by those in attendance.

This was something which had become banned last year to prevent the spread of Covid.

Another moment saw Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders and members of the youth UK Cadet Force associations also lined the steps of Westminster Abbey as guests arrived for the service.

Finally, the Queen was able to sit with her family around her during the memorial.

This differed from Philip’s funeral, where she had to sit alone.

Prince Charles and Camilla at the Prince Philip memorial
Around 1,800 guests attended in total (Credit: SplashNews.com)

What did the family think about Meghan and Harry not attending?

Harry and Meghan made the decision to not return to the UK for the service.

Royal expert Phil Dampier said that Harry may live to regret his choice.

Read more: Poignant meaning behind the Queen’s memorial outfit revealed 

“It’s very sad that Harry and Meghan won’t be at Prince Philip’s memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it,” he told Mail Online.

He continued: “He has said that he doesn’t feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me, that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad.”

YouTube video player

Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you think of this story. 

Related Topics