Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh; 29 March 2022

[MonacoRoyalFan]

Is it known why the norwegian King and Queen didn´t come although they´ve been scheduled (or did they also arrive and leave by a side entrance because of The King´ s walking difficulties?!).


Have all the royal and non-royal guests been invited to Windsor for a lunch afterwards?!


Oh, just spotted Nicola Sturgeon leaving the Abbey in her bright red heels... Goodness sake...!

The King of Norway contracted COVID-19 so had to bow out.

On the lunch front, it appears that Prince Charles hosted a “family reunion” at Clarence House after the service. No word on who was in attendance other than the Romanian royal couple.

 

[tommy100]

Members of the British RF were meant to leave first but it seems the Belgian King and Queen went ahead a left before the Kents and Gloucester's and caused problems then and a crowd of foreign royals were left clogging up the entrance .
Prince Albert II of Monaco seems to have known everyone!

I was under the impression it was exactly for this reason that those in attendance are usually guided from their seats as the right time for their departure e.g. if the foreign royals were not expected to leave until after the members of the BRF then they should have been escorted out after them. By British Royal Household standards it was a bit chaotic, I can understand arrivals being due to traffic but given we saw the busses the wider RF and foreign royals arrived on waiting outside the Abbey it doesn't seem the reason for the delay in leaving. Who knows.

I loved that HM, Camilla and Anne in the front row were all in Edinburgh green (or similar)

 

[Minister of Court]

Yes, I was very confused watching all these very old Princes (Jordan) and Queens (Denmark, Netherlands while the swedish royal couple, despite its age, seems to be still pretty fit) expected to be waiting and standing that long! There is normally always a chair for the danish Queen these days since a couple of years wherever she goes (she never remains standing in receiving lines, for instance). Yes, comparing the normal british clockwork precision, this was very rude and terribly organised...
I was missing somebody from Norway...?!
And who was the lady accompanying the D o Kent? Wouldn´t a male aide-du-camp not be more suitable?

Yes indeed, The Queen of Denmark was leaning on a doorway. There should have been a chair for her.

The King of Norway has covid and had to cancel.

The Duke of Kent was accompanied by his daughter-in-law, the Countess of St Andrews.

 

[kalnel]

I was surprised at the screw-up that left the foreign royals standing at the door of the church to leave. Queen Margrethe seemed to be leaning against the wall for support as she talked to Princess Beatrix. (Carrying out royal duties must be tough with back pain.)

The order of precedence as they entered was odd, too. The Queen of Denmark should have been first, as she's the longest-serving, but they appeared to go alphabetically by country.

I think it was a smart move for the royals that Andrew escorted the Queen. This creates a precedent -- he attended a royal event, and he did it with the Queen. That will take pressure off future events, and the media won't be chirping about "the first time he's been seen" etc.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I was under the impression it was exactly for this reason that those in attendance are usually guided from their seats as the right time for their departure e.g. if the foreign royals were not expected to leave until after the members of the BRF then they should have been escorted out after them. By British Royal Household standards it was a bit chaotic, I can understand arrivals being due to traffic but given we saw the busses the wider RF and foreign royals arrived on waiting outside the Abbey it doesn't seem the reason for the delay in leaving. Who knows.

It was a little chaotic but Prince Albert II of Monaco got to catch up with Princess Michael and Peter Philips!

 

[wartenberg7]

I was surprised at the screw-up that left the foreign royals standing at the door of the church to leave. Queen Margrethe seemed to be leaning against the wall for support as she talked to Princess Beatrix. (Carrying out royal duties must be tough with back pain.)

Yes, I could hardly watch it... Very embaressing for the british court, IMO. With so many aides-du-camp and ladies-in-waiting running around it is pretty unbelievable that a 82 year old monarch and head of state has been left in such an unreasonable situation if you consider for how long by now Queen Margrethe has to use chairs at official engagements... (H danish M´s very own lady-in-waiting surely didn´t do a good job here, too...!)

 

[Marc23]

As for the descendants of the sisters of the DoE, I could recognise Bernhard of Baden and wife & eldest son, one of his brothers (with long hair), the prince of Hohenlohe and wife, his sister Xenia & husband and Pss Katarina of Yugoslavia (daughterof the late prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia). But there must have been more. And walking with them were also the landgrave of Hesse and his wife, née countess Faber-Castell.

Prince Nikola of Yugoslavia, son of prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia and Philip's niece Princess Margareta of Baden also attended. He was wearing glasses and got out of the church few meters before his sister. Alongside Princess Katarina was her daughter Victoria de Silva.

 

[kalnel]

I had to laugh at the end when they finally released the foreign royals to go to their bus. Protocol be damned, Queen Margrethe and Princess Beatrix teamed up and walked out like they weren't waiting for two more seconds. Good for them!

 

[wartenberg7]

Yes indeed, The Queen of Denmark was leaning on a doorway. There should have been a chair for her.

The King of Norway has covid and had to cancel.

The Duke of Kent was accompanied by his daughter-in-law, the Countess of St Andrews.

Thanks! It is a pity the CP couple, or at least Crown Prince Haakon, didn´t represent his parents.
I see about the Duke´s daughter in law - she seemed to be of an elderly lady, too, herself so I didn´t reckognize her.
Haven´t seen Marie-Christine, Prcss Michael of Kent, for quite a while, so I was a bit shocked about her walking difficulties. But, oh well, she is also 77 now...

I had to laugh at the end when they finally released the foreign royals to go to their bus. Protocol be damned, Queen Margrethe and Princess Beatrix teamed up and walked out like they weren't waiting for two more seconds. Good for them!

I´m sure they are not used to this kind of treatment...!

 

[Susan D]

Too many of the high-profile attendees were caught smiling in photographs. I think it's important to keep up sombre expressions for this type of event.

 

[Somebody]

Two of the three songs (He who would valiant be; Guide me o Thou great Redeemer) sung by the congregation were focused on being a pilgrim. I don't think that is a coincidence.

First and last verses of each:

He who would valiant be
’gainst all disaster,
let him in constancy
follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement
shall make him once relent
his first avowed intent
to be a pilgrim.
(...)
Since, Lord, thou dost defend
us with thy Spirit,
We know we at the end
shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away!
I’ll fear not what men say,
I’ll labour night and day
to be a pilgrim.

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more.
(...)
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell’s Destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side:
songs of praises
I will ever give to thee.

While I know the second (All creatures of our God and king - probably picked by the Duke because of his love of nature) and third (Guide me...), I didn't know the first song that apparently is based on the The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer was also sung during William and Catherine's wedding.

 

[wartenberg7]

Too many of the high-profile attendees were caught smiling in photographs. I think it's important to keep up sombre expressions for this type of event.

I seems even a kind of "royal tradition" to smile (or even laugh) at royal funerals, not mentioning services of remembrance...!

 

[Osipi]

Too many of the high-profile attendees were caught smiling in photographs. I think it's important to keep up sombre expressions for this type of event.

It wasn't meant to be a sombre event at all. It was a Service of Thanksgiving and a *celebration* of the life of the Duke of Edinburgh. You smile at celebrations.

 

[Fem]

It wasn't meant to be a sombre event at all. It was a Service of Thanksgiving and a *celebration* of the life of the Duke of Edinburgh. You smile at celebrations.

I think things are getting mixed up here. For some people this service was a second "funeral" (because many could not attend the funeral due to covid restrictions), wondering why the attendees didn't wear black and so on. But in fact was a service of thanksgiving, and smiles are certainly the most welcome when one thinks of the extraordinary life of Prince Philip.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Yes I was taken aback too by how old the Dukes/Prince of Kent/Gloucester suddenly seemed to me. Everyone seems to have aged a bit these past two years.

The Duke of Gloucester didn't seem 'old' to me. He has only just recovered from covid remember. That was why he, and thus his wife, didn't attend the Commonwealth Service, which they were both down to attend, at the beginning of the month.

I knew how old the Duke of Kent would look having seen him at a few events - such as last year's Trooping the Colour.

I was surprised at how much Prince Michael and Princess Michael had aged since they were last seen at a public event.

 

[Durham]

Two of the three songs (He who would valiant be; Guide me o Thou great Redeemer) sung by the congregation were focused on being a pilgrim. I don't think that is a coincidence.

Wonderful hymns both.

And GSTQ is becoming ever more poignant. We all really really mean it now.

 

[Osipi]

I still haven't sat down to watch the entire service but I have seen some of the pictures put out there by the Daily Mail. They never fail to disappoint when it comes to photographs.

I had to especially smile at the photo where it's quite visible how "queenly" HM's chair was. Reminds me of those ancient roman curved chairs and in royal red. ?

 

[TLLK]

Yes indeed, The Queen of Denmark was leaning on a doorway. There should have been a chair for her.

The King of Norway has covid and had to cancel.

The Duke of Kent was accompanied by his daughter-in-law, the Countess of St Andrews.

Thank you for the identification. I had a feeling that was his daughter-in-law.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I felt sorry for Prince Albert II of Monaco there on his own it must be very difficult for him.

 

[Durham]

I still haven't sat down to watch the entire service but I have seen some of the pictures put out there by the Daily Mail. They never fail to disappoint when it comes to photographs.

I had to especially smile at the photo where it's quite visible how "queenly" HM's chair was. Reminds me of those ancient roman curved chairs and in royal red. ?

It's a curule chair.

Thinking about HM's arrival I was just reminded that QEQM walked the length of the nave at Westminster Abbey at the age of 97 at Diana's funeral. She did have a stick but was pretty sprightly all the same.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Members of the British RF were meant to leave first but it seems the Belgian King and Queen went ahead a left before the Kents and Gloucester's and caused problems then and a crowd of foreign royals were left clogging up the entrance .
Prince Albert II of Monaco seems to have known everyone!

Albert seems well liked/ friendly with most of his Royal crowd even the non reigning ones in France and Italy.

He is a congenial hard working man who attracts bad tabloid press due to his rather complicated private life.

But contrary to the silliness you sometimes read online, he and his family are not "shunned" by his Royal, Princely and aristocratic peers.

 

[sophie25]

I felt sorry for Prince Albert II of Monaco there on his own it must be very difficult for him.

Long before his wife was ill she was leaving him to attend foreign visits on his own. He always looks happy enough though, I think he was doing it on his own for so long he's comfortable with it.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

It was not a state funeral to be hastily arranged in 10 days. It was a service which was months and months in the planning. That is why the lack of decorum, the clumsy handling of dignitaries, was remarkable.

In other monarchies like Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands always an aide-de-camp is assigned to each royal, effectively to be their escort, counsel and assistance. Today in London the foreign royals seemed to be un-escorted, which did not help ceremony and protocol.

 

[crm2317]

I feel like they each did have a representative who were seen exiting the abbey first, the same individuals all arrived on a bus before the service just before the bus with the royals.

I noticed that there was an official who gestured to Charles and Camilla to leave and then they were followed by William and Catherine. I wonder if at some point Philippe and Mathilde made a move to leave and everyone else followed even though it wasn’t their turn. I suppose the Kings and Queens are quite used to being the last in and first out!

 

[Iluvbertie]

The CC for this event has a special highlight. If my memory serves (and based on my records) this is the first time that either Prince George or Princess Charlotte have appeared in the CC since they were baptised. This was obviously written before the event as Prince Louis was also listed by with a TBC. At his age I would always have thought he was too young.

Windsor Castle
The Service of Thanksgiving for The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was held in Westminster Abbey this morning.

The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge[TBC], The Duke of York with Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Mr. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank and Mr. Jack Brooksbank, The Earl and Countess of Wessex with The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Mr. Peter Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Tindall, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and other Members of the Royal Family and Members of The Duke of Edinburgh's Family, was present.

Members of Foreign Royal Families and other Foreign Representatives attended.

The Dean of Westminster conducted the Service.

The Dean of Windsor gave an Address.

The Archbishop of Canterbury pronounced the Blessing.

 

[DukeOfAster]

I think, they generally solved the problem with Andrew quite good. After all it still was his father. But not showing him for the most part, essentially only with the Queen was a good Idea, also he came solo...


What i like about Beatrices reaction is, that it shows that they are still family and not just queen and prince...


I understand why the Queen wouldn't want be shown frail or in a wheelchair. But don't you think that the praise would be so huge, showing that is normal to need a wheelchair. Obviously she has still a sharp mind... I would have loved to see her making that statement, but she is from a different generation and i respect that.

I agree as well but I think what is probably going through her mind with the wheelchair is when this took place was at a walkabout for the Queen Mother's birthday. Can you imagine how hard it is to be a mother and sister who are older and yet it was Margaret in the wheelchair. It was bad optics because a staffer brought her out on his own which leaves me to believe that maybe it had been decided she would not go out then then the staffer brought her out. Who wants to be seen week no less Infront of the world press.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I feel like they each did have a representative who were seen exiting the abbey first, the same individuals all arrived on a bus before the service just before the bus with the royals.

I noticed that there was an official who gestured to Charles and Camilla to leave and then they were followed by William and Catherine. I wonder if at some point Philippe and Mathilde made a move to leave and everyone else followed even though it wasn’t their turn. I suppose the Kings and Queens are quite used to being the last in and first out!

I saw their own representatives but no British escort glued to them:

An aide-de-camp escorting the Prince of Wales

An aide-de-camp escorting the Crown Prince and -Princess of Norway

An aide-de-camp escorting the King and Queen of Spain

An aide-de-camp escorting the Begum Inaara Aga Khan

Etc. These aide-de-camps assigned to individual royals welcome them at the aiport and are -for the whole stay- their beacon in an unknown situation in a foreign country.

 

[duchesschicana]

Same here. I was prepared for Beatrice to be as stoic as everyone but she wept quite openly.

I remember how at Philip's funeral service she seemed to linger near his coffin and was gently led away by Edo.

Another precious moment at 1:30.

Here, you can see Princess Beatrice adorably thinking of and remembering her grandfather when the reverend mentions the Duke being sharp. She definitely was the family member who showed the most emotion today—both tears and smiles. Reminds me of his funeral where just before leaving, she turned and took one last look at the Duke’s coffin. Touching gesture.

My heart went out to Beatrice

Its all the more heartbreaking when you probably realize last year at the funeral that she knew she was pregnant/ or at least already was

 

[DukeOfAster]

Side note does anyone else see how much Prince George looks alot like Grandpa Michael Middleton and Uncle James Middleton. See below these are pictures from the daily mail from today of the Cambridge family leaving today service and the second is the Middleton family leaving the day after the royal wedding of the Cambridge's.

 

[TLLK]

Albert seems well liked/ friendly with most of his Royal crowd even the non reigning ones in France and Italy.

He is a congenial hard working man who attracts bad tabloid press due to his rather complicated private life.

Contrary to the silliness you sometimes read online, he and his family are not "shunned" by his Royal, Princely and aristocratic peers.

And he certainly is acquainted with a number of current and former IOC athletes and representatives who are members of the world's royal families.

I doubt there was a request to wear green as the Duchess of Cambridge , Countess of Wessex, and the majority of the royal grand children did not wear it.
Thus with variety of colors from the royal ladies it seemed like a hodge podge.

It was a Thanksgiving service not for a Christening but this was also the funeral for the foreign royals as they never got a chance to attend due to Covid-19.

When in doubt (and it seems there was) it is best to wear black as many of the royal guests rightfully did.

There was an interview with one of the Duke of Edinburgh's former Royal Protection Officers after the service. The interviewer remarked upon his dark green striped tie and the former RPO mentioned that he and other members of the late Duke's staff were all wearing them as dark green was the color for his household. So yes I do believe that dark green was to be one of the requested colors along with other muted tones such as blue, black and grey which were seen on many of the guests today. Queen Maxima was in grey however Queen Letizia was in dark green and Queen Silvia was in navy blue.