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EXCLUSIVE: Buckingham Palace has yet to announce how Prince Philip will be honored – but the Duke of Edinburgh made his wishes known before passing away.
Philip, who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife Queen Elizabeth II, died on Friday. He was 99. The duke was Britain’s longest-serving consort.
Back in 2013, Philip told officials that when he dies he does not want the "fuss" of a full state funeral, U.K.’s Sunday Times reported. In a press release issued on Friday, the College of Arms confirmed that the Duke of Edinburgh will not have a State Funeral or will be "Lying-in-State."
PRINCE PHILIP WILL NOT HAVE A STATE FUNERAL, BODY WILL LIE AT REST IN WINDSOR CASTLE
In this June 19, 1962 file photo, Britain's Prince Philip and his wife Queen Elizabeth II arrive at Royal Ascot race meeting, England. Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died aged 99. Buckingham Palace says Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died aged 99. (AP )
Royal author Anna Pasternak told Fox News it is likely that Philip’s funeral will be a more private affair - as he would have wanted.
"I think the pandemic may support that," she said. "A state funeral would have foreign dignitaries coming in from all over the world and Westminster Abbey will be packed to the gills with people lining the streets. I’m not sure that’s possible."
"We are still in a form of lockdown here," she noted. "So maybe he will have that more intimate funeral due to the pandemic."
Pasternak, who has written about the royal family over the years, recently released a book titled "The Real Wallis Simpson." The British writer tracked down the Duchess of Windsor’s last remaining circle of intimate friends who wanted to set the record straight about her controversial life.
A TIMELINE OF PRINCE PHILIP'S RELATIONSHIP WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH
Staff members bring a notice to the fence of Buckingham Palace after it was announced that Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, has died at the age of 99, in London, Britain, April 9, 2021. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
The U.K. Times previously reported that the last member of the royal family to lie in state was the Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at age 101. An estimated 200,000 people filed past her coffin.
As funeral arrangements are currently underway in the U.K., Pasternak said she has no doubt Elizabeth, 94, will honor her beloved husband in the way he would have wanted. The couple married in 1947 at London’s Westminster Abbey five years before she became queen. They remained together until his death.
"The queen wants to honor him in the way that best reflects his desires, but also touches on the sense of duty that he led in his life," she said. "It’s my understanding he didn’t want the frills of a massive funeral even if we didn’t have a pandemic. He didn’t want a lot of fuss. So it will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds."
Philip spent a month in the hospital earlier this year before he was released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.
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In this image released on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh look at a homemade wedding anniversary card, given to them by their great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the palace said. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."
In his lifetime, Philip fulfilled more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures and played a prominent part in raising his four children, including his eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
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Philip retired from public duties in 2017 and rarely appeared in public afterward. During England's coronavirus lockdown, he and the queen had been staying at Windsor Castle, west of London.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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