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

Nicola Sturgeon has issued another statement on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral.

“On behalf of the people of Scotland, I once again express my deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and members of the Royal Family,” Scotland’s first minister has said.

“The many tributes paid to the Duke of Edinburgh in recent days have shown the depth of his contribution to public life over more than 70 years as well as his longstanding ties to Scotland.”

She continued: “Many have reflected on his distinguished wartime record, his commitment to countless charities and organisations, and his love and support for the Queen throughout their marriage.

“Today, as the Queen and the Royal Family mourn the death of a loved one, we take this opportunity to celebrate and honour an extraordinary life.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral was marked across Ireland on Saturday.

Arlene Foster observed the national minute’s silence for Prince Philip’s funeral at Enniskillen Castle. The DUP leader was joined by party councillors and piper Aaron Elliott outside the Co Fermanagh castle to observe the silence as the funeral service began.

Mrs Foster said her prayers were with the Queen and the royal family as the duke was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

In the Republic, the tricolour was flown at half-mast on all State buildings to mark the death of the duke.

Aras an Uachtarain (the residence of the president of Ireland) and Iveagh House (the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs) were among the buildings where the flags were lowered.

The UK ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnston, thanked the Irish government for what he described as “this very special gesture”.

Under Ireland’s national flag guidelines, the flag can be flown at half-mast on “all prominent buildings” on the death of a national or international figure under the advice of the Taoiseach.

Meghan Markle’s friend Omid Scobie claimed the Duchess’ mind is “very much on the situation here” as he led coverage on ABC from London.

Another ally of Meghan’s, Gayle King, led coverage of the funeral for CBS from the network’s Manhattan studio.

She made no mention of the Oprah interview but said she suspected “family differences will be set aside for the day”.

“William and Harry, there’s no secret about this, have had a strained relationship you could say since Harry stepped away from his royal duties.”

She later wondered if the world was “reading too much into the body language” of the princes.

“They didn’t stand shoulder to shoulder when their mother was buried. This was by the Queen’s design,” Ms King said.

Harry and William walked behind the custom Defender Land Rover that was carrying their grandfather’s body but were separated by their cousin, Peter Phillips.

However, the princes were later seen talking, with the Duchess of Cambridge, after the service.

As a mark of their respect, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex designed a wreath to be laid at the chapel. The wreath contained personally chosen and locally sourced flowers that represented Prince Philip’s history.

The personalised wreath was accompanied by a card handwritten by Meghan who watched the televised ceremony from home. She remained in the US as she is heavily pregnant with the couple’s second child.

So, what does each of the flowers in the wreath represent? Ellie Abraham takes a closer look.

The manager of a Windsor pub says he was “disappointed” more people could not come to pay their respects to the Duke of Edinburgh, but was glad the royal family were able to “mourn in private”.

Stuart O’Brien, 42, manager of the Two Brewers next door to Cambridge Gate, said he was proud to have kept up the pub’s rapport with the Crown Estate by remaining closed and not encouraging more visitors.

“We closed so that we could pay our own respects but also to help not have too many crowds around,” he told the PA news agency.

“With the rapport we have with the Crown Estate it was nice for us to not encourage people to come down.”

He said he could not confirm whether the pub had ever had any royal visitors.

The female royal family members in attendance at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on Saturday wore a selection of meaningful jewels to the event.

It is tradition to wear the colourless jewels during periods of mourning, with the Queen having worn them to previous funerals, including that of her uncle, the Duke of Windsor in 1972, for which she wore pearls.

But what does it signify? Olivia Petter finds out.

A string of famous people have shared their memories and tributes to Prince Philip on the day of his funeral.

Kylie Minogue posted photographs from her meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle in 2017, when he presented her with the Britain-Australia Society Award for 2016, ahead of the service.

Philip, who died last week at the age of 99, was patron of the Britain-Australia Society.

Philip was laid to rest during a televised funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

TV judge Robert Rinder said he was watching the funeral with his grandmother, as they reunited after months apart.

He shared a photo of them together on Twitter and wrote: “Finally lawful to see my grandma. It’s been months. She had her 93rd birthday alone.

“A year since my Pappa - her partner of 7 decades - died. As we remember the Duke of Edinburgh we celebrate a generation of men & woman who knew what it meant to put service before themselves.”

One Direction star Liam Payne also offered a tribute to Philip, sharing a photograph of a painting he had made of the duke on Instagram.

He wrote: “Rest in peace HRH Prince Philip, finished this off whilst listening to your life. What a great legacy left behind.”

Comedian Omid Djalili also reflected on the funeral, sharing a photo of the Queen sitting alone in the chapel.

He wrote: “The Queen sat alone, socially distanced, at her husband’s funeral is going to be an enduring image. When she said, aged 21 in April 1947 that she was going to serve her country, she meant every word of it.”

The Queen was supported by lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey at Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

Lady Susan has served the monarch for decades and has become close to the family. The 81-year-old is a godparent of the Duke of Cambridge and attended his confirmation in 1997.

She is also part of the Queen’s royal household coronavirus bubble that is known affectionately HMS Bubble. She is one of 20 staff that form the group who cared for the Queen and Philip in lockdown, Ellie Abraham writes.

Huw Edwards was joined by guests including Sir David Attenborough, Gyles Brandreth and Alan Titchmarsh as he anchored the BBC’s coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

The broadcaster reflected on a “deeply moving service,” including “a very dignified and sharp and stylish military procession which symbolised all that was vital and salient in the long life of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.”

He concluded his commentary of the funeral saying: “He now rests in peace in the royal vault beneath St George’s Chapel, having fought the good fight, having finished the race, and having kept the faith.”

Ahead of the event, Mr Edwards wrote in the Spectator: “In four hours of live broadcasting, watched by an audience of millions, the focus is on accuracy and tone. Most of the people doling out advice online have - predictably - never been entrusted with such a duty. But thanks anyway.”

Mr Titchmarsh read part of a letter written to him by Philip after he published a book about the royal gardens, while Baroness Grey-Thompson discussed his legacy with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The BBC devoted almost four hours to coverage of the ceremony, and the news bulletin immediately after the funeral also covered the event.

It received 110,000 complaints about coverage of Philip’s death last week, after it cleared its schedules and put mirrored coverage on BBC1, BBC2 and the news channel. The complaints were the highest number ever published in the UK about television programming.

Britons joined the Queen in falling silent on Saturday to mark the start of the funeral for the Duke of Edinburgh.

Here are some images of communities across the UK bowing their heads for 60 seconds: