On April 17, Prince Philip was laid to rest after passing away on April 9 at the age of 99. His funeral was attended by his wife of 73 years Queen Elizabeth II and 29 other guests. The funeral was kept small in order to comply with COVID-19 protocol.
Among those other 29 guests were Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, Princess Eugenie, Prince Beatrice, their spouses, and other family members and close acquaintances. Philip has since been buried at the Royal Burial Ground on the Frogmore Estate, which is close to Windsor Castle.
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Now it is being revealed that Queen Elizabeth broke with tradition at Philip’s funeral, most likely, per his own wishes. As Prince Harry and others revealed while remembering the beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Prince Philip was a no-fuss kind of guy.
“[Prince Philip] has been a rock for Her Majesty The Queen with unparalleled devotion, by her side for 73 years of marriage, and while I could go on, I know that right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘Oh, do get on with it,’” Prince Harry wrote in his statement.
Queen Elizabeth Breaks From Royal Tradition During Prince Philip’s Funeral
As a result of Philip’s personality, the Queen opted out of a eulogy and using the traditional black-edged stationery during the official mourning period, People reported. We do know that Elizabeth did write a final love letter to her beloved Philip and had it added to the top of his casket, along with a bouquet of flowers. She signed the envelope with the words, “I love you” and the nickname Philip called her, “Lilibet.”
Even then, the Queen used personalized stationery featuring her crest in black, instead of the traditional red, according to People.
The contents of that letter will remain private. However, the palace did reveal that “the Order of Service for the funeral was agreed with The Duke of Edinburgh during his lifetime, and reflects The Duke’s close military affiliations, and personal elements of His Royal Highness’ life.”
According to People, the tradition to use stationery with a thick black border began after Prince Albert died in 1861, and his wife Queen Victoria “corresponded on writing paper with a thick black border and matching envelopes, to signal to the recipient her ongoing state of mourning.”