The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered with his personal standard, is brought to St. George’s Chapel
When members of the royal family observed a minute’s silence at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, members of the public in the West Midlands did the same.
The King’s Troop’s Royal Horse Artillery fired a shot to signal the start of silence in Windsor. The pall bearers who carried Philip’s coffin and members of the royal family who followed him paused in their positions while those already in the chapel also fell silent.
The West Midlands Police Honor Guard paid tribute by holding a ceremony outside the Armed Forces Tally Ho training base in Edgbaston and joining the silence.
Meanwhile, in front of Windsor Castle and the nearby Long Walk, hundreds of mourners, who had lined the streets with Union flags and flowers, fell silent before the funeral service took place.
Labor and Conservative MPs from across the region said the service, many parts of which had been specifically requested by the Duke, was a fair tribute.
Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield, said the afternoon was a great example of how the country is doing.
He said, “As always, the whole ceremony was done with great dignity and only as the British can do these things.
“But all our hearts must have gone out to Her Majesty the Queen, who sits alone in her grief.
“Like so many and like some of my friends who have recently lost a loved one, what makes these tragedies worse is the limitation on attending.
“I think the Duke would be proud of the way the service was carried out today.”
A specially built Land Rover, which Prince Philip helped to design, carried the coffin along the route
Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North, said it was sad to see the Queen sitting alone as one of only 30 guests was allowed to enter the chapel due to coronavirus restrictions.
Mr Longhi said: “I think the funeral went as Prince Phillip would have wanted it so the Queen’s support are the two most important things for me to mark his death.
“I hope the queen can comfort herself knowing the whole country is behind her, even though I know she must be feeling terrible now after losing her 73-year-old partner.
“I thought today was a wonderful homage to him and it really shows the royal family how precious they are, even in these tragic circumstances.”
The queen arrived by car while her relatives were in the procession
Valerie Vaz, MP for Walsall North, said the occasion was poignant and moving.
She said: “It did justice to the Duke of Edinburgh to remember his very full life, and I can imagine that any heart that watched would have gone to her if the Queen had sat with her head bowed.
“I think it was a fitting tribute to him and I know he has his own funeral planned so people have tried to accommodate his wishes as much as possible, certainly as far as the service is concerned.
“He would have known what was coming, but it was a really fitting tribute to him and really well planned.”
Royal Marine Pall Bearers carried the coffin into the chapel. There were only 30 guests in the chapel
Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, said the funeral was an important moment for the country.
He added: “Because of the tremendous longevity of Prince Phillip’s ministry, you should have been nearly 80 years old to remember a time when he and the Queen were not at the height of the monarchy.
“All the comments suggest that he planned the funeral himself, with lots of personal details, including the Land Rover, which I thought was a very fitting and personal homage.
“It was obviously sad to see the Queen sitting alone, but I think the ministry and all the family that was there had real dignity.”
A ceremony was held at the Guru Ka Niwas Sikh Temple in Wolverhampton
And Warley Rep. John Spellar agreed that the funeral was superbly carried out.
He said: “It showed the best of the British and was a fitting tribute to the Duke, especially under the Covid circumstances.
“I feel for the Queen that after so many decades of the Duke’s support and camaraderie it has been a massive loss for her.”