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The 6 non-royals Prince Philip chose to walk behind his coffin

More details are emerging ahead of Saturday's funeral for Prince Philip, who died aged 99 last Friday following a month-long hospital stay.

The Duke of Edinburgh's coffin will be followed by his son, Prince Charles and his grandsons, Princes Harry and William as it processes from Windsor Castle to nearby St George's Chapel for the afternoon service.

Queen Elizabeth ll and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wave from an open carriage on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot on June 16, 2011 in Ascot, England.
More details have emerged about the funeral for Prince Philip. Photo: Getty Images.

At Philip's personal request, there will also be six non-royals accompanying Charles, Harry and Will on the day.

They are, according to HELLO!, all members of the late prince's household staff: his personal protection officer, his private secretary, two pages and two valets.

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Prince Philip's funeral: the details

Prince Philip was reportedly very involved in planning his funeral and wanted minimal fuss. To respect his wishes, he will be given a ceremonial rather than a state funeral which is typically given for monarchs.

Ahead of a state funeral, the body will 'lie in state' for the public to view whereas Philip will instead lie at rest in private at a family chapel in Windsor Castle until Saturday's event.

At around 2.40pm UK time (midnight AEST in Australia), Philip's coffin will leave the chapel via the State Entrance of Windsor Castle where it will be placed aboard a specially modified Land Rover of his own design.

The coffin, draped in Philip's personal flag, will exit the Quadrangle and move west down Chapel Hill to the Horseshoe Cloister at the far end of St George's Chapel. Members of the military will line the route.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and the Prince of Wales follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales in September 1997. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
Princes William and Harry, along with their father, Prince Charles, grandfather, Prince Philip and Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales at her 1997 funeral. Photo: Getty Images.

Charles, Harry and William and Philip's six staff members will make the eight-minute journey on foot while the Queen will travel separately by car.

More than 20 years earlier, Prince Charles and his sons were joined by Philip to walk behind the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales who was also given a ceremonial funeral.

Once the coffin reaches St George's Chapel at 3pm it will be carried inside by military pallbearers and the service will begin with a minute's silence.

In line with Britain's current COVID-19 restrictions, only members of the royal family and the duke's private secretary will enter the chapel. The funeral procession is also closed to the public but will be broadcast live on the BBC.

After the service concludes, Prince Philip will be interred in the royal vault. The Queen will remain in mourning, carrying out duties behind closed doors, for about 22 days after his funeral.

The British Royal Family follows the Queen Mother's coffin out of Westminster Abbey after the service in London 09 April 2002.
The British Royal Family follows the Queen Mother's coffin in 2002. Photo: Getty Images.

Who will attend?

With the guest list capped at 30 due to the pandemic, many are wondering which royals will attend Prince Philip's funeral. His widow, the Queen will attend along with their four children, selected grandchildren and close family members.

The biggest question mark was hanging over the heads of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, who now call the US home after stepping back from royal duties in early 2020. Would the pair return to the UK for the very first time following their tell-all interview with Oprah in March?

Royal watchers had their answer when the Duke of Sussex arrived from Los Angeles on a British Airways flight into Heathrow over the weekend. He was, however, alone as the heavily pregnant duchess had been advised not to travel according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

Meghan's friends have since claimed that she preferred to remain in California as she "doesn't want to be the centre of attention" on a day dedicated to the Queen's late husband.

Harry will be able to leave quarantine after five days rather than 10 if he provides a negative coronavirus test, however, he will be able to attend Philip's funeral regardless as official guidelines state those coming from abroad can leave isolation "on compassionate grounds".

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