Ahead of Prince Philip's funeral, the Queen has had to make some final decisions finalizing the event. While COVID-19 continues to limit how many people can gather in one place, this has forced the Queen to limit attendees to only 30 people.
- More details about Prince Philip's funeral have been released, including the guest list.
- Since only 30 people can gather together due to the COVID-19 restrictions on people gathering, the Queen could only allow 30 people in total to attend.
- In other royal news, Meghan Markle has her own plans for honoring the late Prince Philip.
The Duke of Edinburgh is set to be laid to rest at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, surrounded by his wife of 73 years, four children (Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward), eight grandchildren (Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise, and James, Viscount Severn), and other close family and friends.
It's still not considered safe to gather in crowds larger than 30, and when it came down to it, the Queen had the final say on who could attend. This caused her to have to "make some difficult decisions," a palace spokesperson said to PEOPLE.
Prince Philip was a well-known public figure, and while many may wish to pay their respects, the spokesperson reminded us that the funeral is still a "family event."
"We are dealing with a family funeral, and at its heart, it is still a family event," they said.
The spokesperson did not divulge whether or not Prince Philip requested certain people attend his funeral, but some of his German relatives will be in attendance, including two great-nephews and a cousin, in attendance (Prince Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg).
Those in attendance will be required to wear a mask inside St. George's Chapel, and anyone walking in the funeral procession will not be required to wear a mask until they step inside the chapel.
The small and intimate gathering is also reportedly what Prince Philip would have wanted.
"Ironically, it is probably how he would have liked," former palace spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson told PEOPLE. "No fuss, no bother. Right through his life, he never knew what all the fuss was about."
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