The Queen’s eight days of mourning Prince Philip

The Queen's eight days of mourning for Prince Philip's passing – and what comes next

Following the death of her spouse, Prince Philip, the Queen will undergo an eight-day mourning time during which she will not perform any Royal duties, including those performed in private.

The Queen will not give Royal Assent to legislation over the eight-day span, which is the final step in the phase of introducing a law in the United Kingdom.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth had been together for 73 years, and he died on Friday at the age of 99. (April 9). The Queen, who is 94 years old, is five years his junior.

Union flags will be flown at half-mast throughout the United Kingdom after the Duke of Edinburgh's demise.

Following the Queen's initial eight-day duration of mourning, when Royal duties will be postponed, a 30-day period of Royal mourning is scheduled.

There will be no lying in state for the Duke of Edinburgh, which is a departure from custom.

The coffin is draped in a royal flag, normally a personal standard, and stands on a catafalque, a lined platform covered with purple fabric, surrounded by military guards around the clock, during a royal lying in state.

A lying in state has been unlikely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, not that the duke would mind.

When speaking about the duke's feelings on lying in state, an aide once said, “He doesn't see himself as important enough for that.”

Buckingham Palace officials are now arranging for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle, as Prince Philip had requested. If Covid laws permit, a military parade is also required in London.

State funerals, such as Winston Churchill's, are organized by the Earl Marshal, while the sovereign grants a royal ceremonial funeral to members of the Royal Family who carry high military rank, consorts of the sovereign, and those considered suitable.

However, in terms of structure and reception, they are somewhat close, and Princess Diana's royal ceremonial funeral is often mistaken for a state funeral.

The Duke's body is likely to be transferred to Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London, where Princess Diana lay for several days until her funeral in 1997, but he is expected to be buried in Frogmore Gardens in Windsor Castle's grounds.

The Queen is supposed to deliver a television address to the country in the coming days, although this is contingent on her grief and is not required.

Family reactions

Prince Philip's death has created a “huge void” in Queen Elizabeth II's life, according to their son Prince Andrew.

Andrew, the third of the couple's four children, attended church with other members of the royal family at Windsor's Royal Chapel of All Saints two days after his father, the 99-year-old Philip, died at Windsor Castle.

“It left a huge void in her life,” Andrew said of his mother's loss.

“We've lost, almost, the grandfather of the nation,” he added. “And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who's feeling it probably more than everybody else.”

Prince Edward, Philip's younger brother, described Philip's death as a “dreadful shock,” but added that the 94-year-old queen was “bearing up.”

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Edward's wife, claimed the queen was “thinking of others before herself.”

She described Philip's death at Windsor Castle as “peaceful,” coming three weeks after he was released from a month-long hospital stay.

“It was right for him and it was so gentle. It was just like someone took him by the hand and off he went,” Sophie told well-wishers. “It was very, very peaceful and that's all you want for somebody, isn't it? “It was very, very quiet, and isn't that what you expect from someone?”

Prince Harry and Prince William also paid tributes to Prince Philip, with the Duke of Sussex describing his grandfather as “a legend of banter” and “master of the barbecue.”

Harry said his grandfather was “cheeky right to the end” in a statement issued only moments after one by his brother.

The Duke of Sussex, who returned to the UK on Sunday after the Duke of Edinburgh's death on Friday, described his grandfather as “a man of service, honor, and great humour.” “He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm — and also because you never knew what he might say next.

“He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke.

“But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.

Prince William pays homage to Philip, calling him “extraordinary” and saying, “I'll miss my grandpa.”

In a moving homage to his late grandfather, the Duke of Cambridge characterized Prince Philip as “an extraordinary man.”

Prince William, 38, posted a tender picture of Prince George, his then-toddler sibling, seated next to the Duke of Edinburgh in Norfolk.

Prince Harry paid homage to his grandfather in a different statement, calling him “a man of service, honor, and great humor,” and saying, “he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right until the end.”

George's mother, Kate Middleton, took the family portrait in 2015, showing the youngster seated alongside Philip in the box seat of a wagon, while the duke kept the reins and a whip.

William said in his statement that he will miss his “grandpa,” but that Philip, who died on Friday at the age of 99, “would want us to get on with the job.”

He said: “My grandfather's century of life was defined by service – to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family.

“I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days.

“I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her.

“I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour!

“My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation. Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will support The Queen in the years ahead.

“I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”

“I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”

Prince Harry's statement

“My grandfather was a man of service, honour and great humour.

“He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm – and also because you never knew what he might say next.

“He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke.

“But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.

“He 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!'

“So, on that note, Grandpa, thank you for your service, your dedication to Granny, and for always being yourself.

“You will be sorely missed, but always remembered – by the nation and the world. Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts.

“Per Mare, Per Terram.