A 'lady-in-waiting' might accompany Queen to Prince Philip’s funeral

The Royal loyalists and fans of the royal family are in mourning today, as the funeral of Prince Philip is set to take place. Prince Philip’s coffin will be transported to his funeral in a specially designed Land Rover hearse.

The Queen, meanwhile, will arrive at her late husband’s final farewell in the state Bentley as part of the procession through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there will be just 30 guests – the majority of them the Duke’s close family – and the monarch will have to sit alone during service.

However, she will be accompanied to the church by a lady-in-waiting.

The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, personally chosen by the monarch, have a variety of duties including attending to private and personal matters for the Queen and handling her correspondence. Some of the ladies-in-waiting have been with the Queen for more than 50 years and act as both friends and loyal assistants.

They have also been part of HMS Bubble – the name given to the reduced selection of around 20 staff attending to the Queen at Windsor during the lockdown.

The Palace has not said which lady-in-waiting will accompany the Queen in the vehicle. However, Elizabeth II’s senior lady-in-waiting is Lady Susan Hussey, who was married to the late BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey.

While the Queen will be joined by her trusted companion on her way to the service, she will sit by herself in the quire of the chapel. As the Queen has been staying in Windsor with members of staff, she is unable to form a support bubble with another household.

So while couples who are within one household – such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall – will be able to sit together, the monarch must sit alone.

Government guidance states that funeral ceremonies must have no more than 30 people attending, whether indoors or outdoors, and Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the congregation will wear face masks for the service.

The official advice instructs: “Wear a face covering, as required by law when attending indoor places of worship, crematoriums and burial ground chapels unless you are exempt for health, disability or other reasons.”

Singing, shouting, chanting or raising your voice must also be avoided in indoor settings, with the palace confirming that a choir of four people will be the only people singing in the church.

The 30-person guest limit does not include anyone working at the event, so the choristers, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Windsor are not counted.

Members of the public have been urged to stay away from the area on the day and to watch live on TV instead.