Prince Philip’s Service of Thanksgiving will be personal tribute from the Queen to her husband

© Reuters A Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh will be a personal tribute from the Queen

© Getty Only 30 mourners were allowed at the duke’s funeral. Pic: APThe Abbey is where the couple got married, where he pledged to be “her liege man of life and limb” at her Coronation, and was due to be the original venue for his funeral which was instead held in Windsor due to COVID.

© PA Prince Philip specifically requested for his funeral that clergy from the Royal Estates be involvedThe palace said the Queen has been “actively involved in the plans for today’s Service of Thanksgiving, with many elements reflecting Her Majesty’s wishes”.

It’s thought a last-minute decision will be made about whether the Queen will attend following recent concerns about her health, and after she was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service earlier in March. The last time she was seen at an outside public event was on the 5 February when she met local people in the ballroom at Sandringham House to mark Accession Day.

Most of the family, but not all to attend service

© PA The Abbey is where the couple got marriedThe Queen will be joined by her children and grandchildren including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess Royal, and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, and Prince Andrew and his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

It will be the first time that Prince Andrew has been seen in public since settling his sex abuse case with Virginia Giuffre and he was stripped of his military titles.

Prince Harry and Meghan have decided not to attend the service.

© PA The service will especially pay tribute to his public service and support for over 700 charitiesIt’s understood some of the Queen and Prince Philip’s older great-grandchildren could also attend.

Charities and armed forces will be represented

The Duke’s family, European royalty, and members of Prince Philip’s former staff will also make up the congregation, along with his friends and political figures such as Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The service will especially pay tribute to his public service and support for over 700 charities with 500 representatives from many of them invited to attend, highlighting his work promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, supporting the Armed Forces, and recognising the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people.

© Associated Press The duke died in April last year. Pic: APThe Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, founded by him in 1956, will feature prominently in the service.

Due to COVID, the original plans for Prince Philip’s funeral had to be scaled back significantly last April. Some of the original elements will instead be included in the Service of Thanksgiving including Gold Award Holders from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, lining the steps of the entry routes into Westminster Abbey for Members of the Royal Family and other guests.

© Associated Press The Queen had to sit alone at his funeral last year. Pic: APOne of the first roles that he took on in 1953 after the Queen became monarch was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force.

Before the Service begins, The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth will play as the Congregation arrives. The Duke of Edinburgh was Captain General of the Royal Marines for more than six decades. The service will be sung by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey, and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace.

‘His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity’

In a moving tribute The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, who will give the Bidding will say: “A man of rare ability and distinction, rightly honoured and celebrated, he ever directed our attention away from himself. He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service.

“Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter. His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty.

“We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully. Acknowledging our loss, we turn to the God who is our help for He will renew our hope. In grateful remembrance of The Prince Philip, we then commit ourselves to live as he lived, in faith, in the service of Her Majesty, and with a greater reverence for our world and our neighbours.”

Doyin Sonibare, who holds her bronze, silver, and gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, will also speak at the service about His Royal Highness’ legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe.

She signed up for the award through her local youth club in Barking and will share how it empowered her to fulfill her potential and how it will continue to do the same for generations to come.

Ruth Marvel, Chief Executive of the Duke of Edinburgh Award told Sky News: “I think it’s just a fantastic opportunity to say thank you to somebody who has touched the lives of so many young people who are so important to the D of E family.

“Obviously, when the Duke’s funeral took place, we were still in lockdown conditions. And that meant that we weren’t able, as an organisation, as a charity to be as part of those celebrations as we would have liked to have been of his life and legacy.

“So it’s a great opportunity, I think, to celebrate his life, celebrate the impact he’s had on young people, and really look forward to and get excited about the future.”

Prince Philip specifically requested for his funeral that clergy from the Royal Estates of Windsor, Sandringham, and Balmoral – known as The Queen’s domestic chaplains – played a part and as a result, they will also take part in the service along with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Music that he wanted at his funeral will be played and the Choir will sing Te Deum in C by Benjamin Britten, and Guide me, O thou great Redeemer will be sung by the congregation. In line with government guidelines at the time, there was no congregational singing at his funeral.

Flowers inside the Abbey will be red, white, and blue including orchids featured in The Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947, and sea holly, to echo The Duke of Edinburgh’s career in the Navy, and lifelong affection for the sea.

The Duke of Edinburgh died on 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle at the age of 99 years old.

Prince Philip’s Service of Thanksgiving will be personal tribute from the Queen to her husband (msn.com)