Prince Philip's funeral was held April 17th, 2021. The funeral included many traditions, but also a few special moments that fans of the royal family likely noticed.
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00:00Prince Philip's funeral was held April 17, 2021. The funeral included many traditions,
00:06but also a few special moments that fans of the royal family likely noticed.
00:10According to Kinsey Schofield, founder of ToDieForDaily.com, a website about the British
00:16royal family, a sweet surprise during the somber ceremony was the inclusion of a traditional British
00:21folk song, Rosy Medra by Rafe Vaughan Williams. As Schofield notes, this song was also played
00:27at Princess Diana's funeral. The song was also played during both Prince William and
00:31Prince Harry's wedding. While unlikely a tribute to Princess Diana, it is a gentle reminder of
00:37the Queen of Hearts who hopefully met the Duke at the Gates of Heaven, and who hopefully has
00:41her arms wrapped around both of her boys today. Prince Philip and Princess Diana were quite close
00:46for years, and there's some reports that the Duke of Edinburgh often sat next to Diana at family
00:51events at Balmoral. The outlet said,
00:53"[Philip recognized Diana as an awkward young girl, who was obviously overroared by the situation.
00:59He frequently sat next to her at formal dinners in the candlelit dining room at Balmoral,
01:04and gave her a conspiratorial wink when the Queen's piper appeared swirling around the
01:08table playing his bagpipes."
01:10Prince Philip was also the person Princess Diana turned to when it became clear her
01:14marriage to Prince Charles was in trouble. Metro reports that the pair exchanged letters
01:18between June 1992 until Diana and Charles ultimately separated in December of the same
01:24year. Prince Philip offered his help and advice in one letter, writing,
01:28"'I can only repeat what I have said before. If invited, I will do my utmost to help you
01:33and Charles to the best of my ability.'"
01:35He quickly hastened to add that his advice shouldn't be taken as a veritable fact,
01:39tacking on,
01:40"'But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counselor.'"
01:44His letter appeared to be exactly what Princess Diana needed to hear. She wrote back,
01:48"'Dearest Pa, I was particularly touched by your most recent letter,
01:52which proved to me, if I did not already know it, that you really do care.
01:56You are very modest about your marriage guidance skills, and I disagree with you.'"
02:00Per Harp.com, the meaning of Rosa Medra is lovely in the Welsh language. The song is,
02:05quote, "'perfect' for worship and concert settings,
02:07so it was a fitting tune for such a somber occasion."
02:10Whether or not the inclusion of the song at Prince Philip's funeral was an intentional
02:14nod to Princess Diana, there's no denying that after her death, he played a role in comforting
02:19her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Unsurprisingly, planning for royal funerals
02:24is meticulous, with no detail overlooked. Even though Diana had been divorced from
02:29Prince Charles at the time of her death, she was still a beloved princess to many.
02:33According to Town & Country,
02:35"'In a country famed for its stiff upper lip, people wept openly in the streets,
02:39keening the loss of a beautiful young mother. Her funeral, like her wedding,
02:43was viewed around the world."
02:44And just as William and Harry walked in the funeral procession for their grandfather,
02:49they were accompanied by Prince Philip in 1997, walking somberly in their mother's procession.
02:54However, getting to that point wasn't without issues. There was a lot of discussion surrounding
02:59how to include the boys, and Philip stepped in with a proposal for his grandsons. As Evening
03:04Standard reported, the Duke of Edinburgh was very concerned for Prince William and Prince Harry
03:09during that difficult time. Angie Hunter, a former government relations director,
03:13recalled a conference call and Prince Philip's input. She recalled,
03:17"'We were all talking about how William and Harry should be involved,
03:20and suddenly came Prince Philip's voice. We hadn't heard from him before, but he was really anguished.
03:25"'It's about the boys,' he cried. "'They've lost their mother.'"
03:28The night before the funeral, the boys' grandfather let them know how much he supported them.
03:32Hunter continued,
03:34"'Philip is said to have turned to William and Harry and told them,
03:36"'I'll walk if you walk.'"
03:38In addition to Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's younger brother,
03:42Earl Spencer, also joined the young princes in the funeral procession.
03:46Although Diana has been gone for over 20 years, her presence is still
03:49keenly felt among her family, friends, and millions around the world.