PRINCE William and Kate Middleton’s three children are not expected to attend the funeral of their great-grandfather Prince Philip, a report says.
The ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday has been scaled back to 30 mourners due to Covid restrictions and will include an eight-minute procession within the grounds.
Read our live blog for the very latest news on Prince Philip’s death…
According to the Telegraph, the kids – future monarch Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and two-year-old Prince Louis – are also considered too young to join the procession on foot before the Duke’s funeral.
The report says their absence will free up three spots for older relatives who knew the Queen’s husband for decades.
Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said: “Even in normal times, the Cambridge children would probably have been deemed too young to attend.”
A Palace spokesman previously said the Duke’s children and grandchildren would attend alongside Her Majesty.
Other members of the royal family and close friends of the Duke of Edinburgh will be able to watch the service on live stream, the Telegraph reports.
Guests who would have attended if it not for the coronavirus restrictions on people gathering in large groups will be given login details to watch the ceremony online.
However, the live stream is believed to be the same footage used by the BBC and ITV but without live commentary.
According to the report, Meghan Markle will be able to watch the service online as she is unable to travel due to pregnancy.
Her husband Prince Harry has already arrived back in the UK for his grandfather’s funeral after flying from his new home in California.
It is unclear if Jack Brooksbank, who married Princess Eugenie in 2018 and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who wed Princess Beatrice last July, will attend the service.
Reports say it is unlikely that Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, will attend despite her continuing to live with the Duke of York at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.
In 2002, both Beatrice and Eugenie attended the funeral of the Queen Mother when they were aged 13 and 12 respectively.
This comes as it emerged the Queen was by Philip’s bedside when her husband of 73 years passed away on Friday.
The Duke is believed to have spent his last few days reading and writing letters and sleeping in the sun weeks before his 100th birthday.
Philip, who had spent a month being treated for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition, is believed to have died suddenly although peacefully.
