Funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died on Friday aged 99.
The ceremonial royal funeral will be held at St George’s Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Saturday, 17 April. The event will be televised to a global audience.
Philip’s coffin will be draped in his personal flag that is comprised of various components of his life and identity.
The flag includes four square sections with different symbols on them. The top of the flag represents Philip’s royal heritage. The left corner will feature a yellow background with red hearts and blue dragons, which represent the Danish coat of arms.
The top right includes the white cross from the national flag of Greece, where he was born and had the title of prince.
The bottom left tile is black and white vertical stripes to represent the Mountbatten family, and the final piece depicts a castle that represents Edinburgh, in honor of his title the Duke of Edinburgh.
Despite being born on the Greek island of Corfu, Philip didn’t identify much with his Greek birth and actually held a longstanding grudge against the country and her people.
Philip’s grandfather, King George I of Greece, was assassinated in 1913. Later, Prince Andrew (Philip’s father) was a commander in the Greek army during the 1919-1922 war with Turkey but with Greece’s defeat, Andrew and the family were exiled in 1922. At only 18-months old, Philip was smuggled out of the country in an orange box.
“I certainly never felt nostalgic about Greece. A grandfather assassinated and a father condemned to death does not endear me to the perpetrators,” he said.
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1 comment
Impressive.