Prince Philip funeral : Union flags raised over royal palaces as Queen continues to grieve for husband

Prince Hassan bin Talal described his friend the Duke of Edinburgh as a "remarkable human being".

The member of the Jordanian royal family told BBC Radio 4's Today: "We were frequently guests at Sandringham and Balmoral, and in that context established a personal relationship

"I remember saying to him, 'How do I refer to you?' He said, 'Philip is a perfectly good name'.

"I think I was very close to knowing the man, the human being, and in that sense I feel the privilege in having known not only an encyclopaedia of knowledge, but also an icon of human dignity."

Prince Hassan said he enjoyed the duke's "forthrightness", adding he did not think Philip would mind having a scaled-down funeral due to coronavirus restrictions. "On the contrary, I think he had every right to make it as personal and as poignant," he said.

A rather warm afternoon is expected for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, forecasters have said.

Members of the royal family will walk behind Philip's coffin as it is taken into St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the funeral will take place at 3pm.

A cold and frosty start to the day is set to clear and leave a fine and dry morning with plenty of sunshine, the Met Office said.

Conditions around Windsor are set to be similar to many areas across the South East, according to a spokesman who said there may be highs of 15C, possibly 16C, in isolated spots.

Prince Philip’s coffin, which will be covered with his personal standard along with his sword, naval cap and a wreath of flowers, is due shortly to be moved from the private chapel to the Inner Hall of Windsor Castle by members of The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

The Duke of Edinburgh's great niece, whose brother is in Windsor for his funeral, has remembered Philip as an "idol" for the younger generation of their family.

Speaking from Munich, Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg told the BBC: "To all of us, he was an idol, he was somebody to look up to, we had enormous respect for him and it was always very exciting when he came to visit, and he came often.

"And this has become clear to me in the week since he's died - the way he lived his life, his motto, which was an unwritten motto for us, this discipline, this selflessness, this lack of ego, but also his sense of humour always underlying all of that."

Speaking about her brother's attendance at the funeral, she added: "It's a huge honour, obviously, and having spoken to my brother yesterday, he's just saying it's a very special time for the cousins to be together and to be representing what is a huge part of the Duke of Edinburgh's family.

"You just have to think that there were 16 direct cousins of the Prince of Wales ... that's a huge number of people, and there's three descendants that are able to be there to represent us is a huge honour and is deeply felt."

Armed police officers could be seen patrolling around Windsor Castle this morning.

Hundreds of officers and stewards wearing purple vests were in place around the historic town while police vans and motorbikes were on the roads.

Mike Tindall, married to Philip’s granddaughter Zara Tindall, has paid tribute to the Duke ahead of the funeral. Sharing a photo of Philip with the Tindalls’ eldest daughter, he described him as a “devoted family man who we will forever miss but always love”.

Members of the public have visited Windsor on Saturday morning to pay tribute to Prince Philip, with some laying flowers at the gates of Windsor Castle.

Kaya Mar explained that he had painted of the duke in tribute. Speaking to our correspondent Chiara Giordano, the 64-year-old said: “It’s a tribute to his life, I liked him very much. I’m not a royalist; as a person, I liked him.

“He was a very outspoken person, a very colourful person. He did a lot for this country. When something happened, the country turned to them for security. It took me an hour to paint it, to say thank you to his life.”

A newly-unearthed handwritten note has revealed that a faux pas by Prince Philip at a White House dinner with former US president Richard Nixon in 1969 caused the duke to lose sleep.

In a handwritten note to the president uncovered by archivists at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Philip wrote to “humbly apologise” for failing to toast the president’s health, as dictated by protocol during a “stag” dinner in his honour.

“After the brilliance of the other speakers and yourself, I am afraid my contribution was very lame.” He added: “That night I woke up in a cold sweat when I realised I had forgotten to propose your health!”

Members of the public have expressed their sadness that original plans for the funeral could not proceed in Windsor, as some continue to lay flowers outside the castle.

“I think the country is missing out on something,” said local resident Ian Mawhinney, 56. “[But] I think the royal family are setting an example. Having a small event is not what they would have wanted but they will adapt and ... honour Philip in their own way.”

In more newly-released images, Philip is seen as a teenager sailing a boat at the boarding school he attended.

The duke’s love of boating started at an early age. Later, he joined the Royal Navy where his career saw him become one of the youngest officers to be made First Lieutenant and second in command of a ship.