The Laird o’ Thistle – Special Edition – A Funeral at Windsor

Out of a day of many unforgettable images, viewed by a worldwide audience, one picture has quickly come to epitomize the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on Saturday 17 April 2021. It is the photo of his widow, HM the Queen, sitting alone in the choir stalls of St. George’s Chapel, a tiny figure, her shoulders stooped with age and sorrow, masked (perhaps a blessing?) and wearing somber black relieved only by a stunning diamond broach that first belonged to her grandmother.

The scene set me thinking…. One of my first forays into reading books about the royals, fifty-some years ago, was Marion Crawford’s THE LITTLE PRINCESSES. Miss Crawford – the Scottish governess who cared for and companioned the princesses from the early 1930s, through WWII, and up to Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage – noted her concern at the time as to whether Princess Elizabeth should attend the Lying-in-State, and then the Windsor funeral, of King George V in 1936. Was it too much for one so young? (Not yet age 10 at the time.) It was duly decided that the princess would attend and, as one would expect of this particular princess, she proved her mettle. “Crawfie” described her as somber and pale, wearing a black coat and little velvet tam as she joined her heavily veiled mother and the royal ladies at Paddington Station for the trip to Windsor and St. George’s.

Later on Saturday, after the funeral, I decided to look for any images of Princess Elizabeth at that 1936 funeral and struck gold as it were. On YouTube, I found a clip from the British Pathe newsreel coverage of that day: YouTube: The Funeral Of His Majesty King George V (1936). If you look at the 9:00 minute mark you’ll find the coffin of George V being carried up the steps of St. George’s Chapel, followed by his sons, widow, and family. At the 9:30 mark, you will see, in the lower right of the screen, the unmistakable image of Princess Elizabeth, solemn but observant, as she and her mother join the Duke of York on the steps. A small solemn figure, dressed in black… then, and now.

The Queen is the last surviving member of the family that attended the funeral of George V. In subsequent years she has returned many times, for the burial services of her adored father, George VI; her formidable grandmother, Queen Mary; her mother-in-law, Princess Alice; her uncles, the Dukes of Windsor and Gloucester; her mother, Queen Elizabeth; her sister, Princess Margaret; and various other members of the House of Windsor, now including that of her much-beloved husband and companion of 73 years. (Among those, I’ve looked, but have not found out, whether she was also among the attendees at the particularly poignant and tearful funeral of the Duke of Kent in 1942, after his tragic death in wartime service.)

Not one to dwell on such things, snippets of memories of all those other funerals must nonetheless have passed through the Queen’s mind over the last week or so… along with thoughts of others such as Lord Mountbatten’s and Princess Diana’s, in particular. For all of those services since 1947, she had had Prince Philip at her side.

On Saturday Philip was not at her side but, in a way, he was all around her. Though down-sized and adapted due to COVID, Prince Philip’s hand shown through in every detail of the striking service that may set a new standard for royal funerals at St. George’s. Two of the pieces of music, the settings of Psalms 100 and 104, beautifully sung by the 4-person ensemble in the bare nave, were originally commissioned by Prince Philip. Liturgically and aesthetically, the whole service was perfection.

Following the service I found myself imagining the Queen calling the Prince of Wales and her new Lord Chamberlain over to her afterward and saying something to the effect of, “On Monday, start re-writing my funeral plans to be more like this. I know there will have to be the State ceremonies in London, but here at Windsor, I want something like today.”

It is inevitable that sometime in the next few years the Queen will follow those who have gone before her. That, too, must have crossed her mind, sitting there by herself on Saturday afternoon. And, with that thought, perhaps also the well-known and much-beloved prayer of John Henry Newman:

O Lord support us all the day long,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then in your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
and holy rest, and peace at the last,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yours aye,
Ken Cuthbertson – The Laird o’ Thistle
April 19, 2021

Funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Embed from Getty Images 

The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at 3:00 PM at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor England. It was a ceremonial royal funeral, the same as for Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002, rather than a state funeral which is usually reserved for monarchs. The funeral plans reflected The Duke of Edinburgh’s wishes for a smaller, no-fuss funeral. His wishes were made clear to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, which is responsible for organizing the funeral. The arrangements were planned over many years, with The Duke of Edinburgh’s involvement and The Queen signed off on the funeral plans. Last-minute changes were necessary to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. After The Duke of Edinburgh’s death on April 9, 2021, at Windsor Castle, his coffin, covered with his personal standard and a wreath of flowers, rested in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The Procession from Windsor Castle to St. George’s Chapel

Embed from Getty Images

The funeral service was preceded by a ceremonial procession within the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards moved the coffin from the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle the short distance to St. George’s Chapel. The band of the Grenadier Guards, of which The Duke of Edinburgh was Colonel for 42 years, led the procession. They were followed by the Major General’s Party, and then the Service Chiefs, reflecting The Duke of Edinburgh’s close relationship with all branches of the British military. The coffin was carried in a purpose-built Land Rover, which The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in designing.

Embed from Getty Images
The Range Rover carrying The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin

Royal Standard of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Credit- Wikipedia

The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin was draped with his personal flag, his royal standard, representing his Danish and Greek heritage, the Mountbatten family, and his British title.

  • Lions and hearts from the Danish coat of arms
  • The national flag of Greece
  • Black and white stripes from the Mountbatten family arms
  • The arms of the city of Edinburgh representing his title Duke of Edinburgh

Embed from Getty Images

The Duke of Edinburgh’s four children, his three eldest grandsons, his son-in-law, and his nephew by marriage walked behind the coffin, in this order:

The Prince of Wales – The Princess Royal

The Duke of York – The Earl of Wessex

The Duke of Cambridge – Peter Phillips – The Duke of Sussex

David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon – Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence

Plan of Windsor Castle. Key: A: Round Tower, B: Upper Ward, Quadrangle, C: State Apartments, D: Private Apartments, E: South Wing, F: Lower Ward, G: St George’s Chapel, H: Horseshoe Cloister, K: King Henry VIII Gate, L: The Long Walk, M: Norman Gate, N: North Terrace, O: Edward III Tower, T:  Curfew Tower; Credit – Wikipedia

The procession proceeded from the Quadrangle in the Upper Ward, into the Lower Ward, and then into Horseshoe Cloister. The route of the procession was lined by representatives from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force, and The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. Guns were fired at intervals of one minute by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn at Windsor Castle and the Curfew Tower Bell tolled during the procession.

Embed from Getty Images

The National Anthem was played as the coffin arrived in Horseshoe Cloister, the area in front of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel, where it was met by the Commonwealth Defense Advisers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago. The West Steps of St. George’s Chapel were lined by a Dismounted Detachment of the Household Cavalry. Reflecting The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Navy service, a Royal Navy Piping Party was in position on the south side of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel. When the Land Rover stopped at the foot of the West Steps, the Piping Party piped the ‘Still’ – used to call all hands to attention as a mark of respect or to order silence on any occasion.

Then the pallbearers lifted the coffin and proceeded up the West Steps, stopping on the second landing. The Royal Navy Piping Party then piped the ‘Side’ – used when distinguished visitors arrive onboard a Royal Navy ship. The coffin paused for the National Minute Silence at 3:00 PM.

Embed from Getty Images

At the top of the West Steps, David Connor, Dean of Windsor and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury received the coffin. As the doors to St. George’s Chapel closed, the Royal Navy Piping Party piped the ‘Carry On’ – used to dismiss the crew back to their duties.

Guests

Embed from Getty Images

Although St. George’s Chapel can seat 800 people, due to COVID-19 restrictions, there could be only 30 guests at the funeral. Buckingham Palace said The Queen faced some very difficult decisions in selecting the guests and wanted all branches of her husband’s family to be represented. The guests, who sat socially distanced in family groups, wore masks during the funeral service and members of the Royal Family wore day dress or morning coat with medals.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

The Duke of Edinburgh’s four sisters were represented by members of the House of Baden, the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the House of Hesse.

  • Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden: Heir to the Head of the House of Baden, great-nephew of The Duke of Edinburgh, son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden who is the son of The Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and Berthold, Margrave of Baden
  • Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, great-nephew of The Duke of Edinburgh, son of Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who is the son of The Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark and Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
    Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse: Head of the House of Hesse, into which The Duke of Edinburgh’s sisters Princess Cecile of Greece and Denmark and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark married. Via their mutual descent from Queen Victoria, Donatus is the third cousin twice removed of both The Duke of Edinburgh and The Queen. Cecilie married Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine who was a grandson of Queen Victoria via her daughter Alice). Sophie first married Prince Christoph of Hesse (son of Princess Margarete of Prussia who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria via her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal). After Christoph died in World War II, Sophie married Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover who was a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal.

The Funeral Service

The Order of Service for the Funeral of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (link below) contains all prayers, hymns, and instructions. In addition, some links have been added to provide additional information.

Embed from Getty Images

The funeral service began as the coffin entered St. George’s Chapel and was carried in procession to the catafalque in the quire followed by the family members who participated in the procession. Before the service, The Duke of Edinburgh’s naval cap and sword were placed on the coffin.

Embed from Getty Images

Before his death, the Duke of Edinburgh decided which of his insignia, the medals and decorations conferred on him by the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, would be displayed at his funeral. The insignia he chose, together with his Field Marshal’s baton and Royal Air Force Wings, and his insignia from Greece and Denmark, as he was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, were placed on cushions on the altar before the funeral service.

Embed from Getty Images
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

As per The Duke of Edinburgh’s wishes, no sermon or eulogy was delivered. No members of the royal family read lessons or gave readings. The service was conducted by David Conner, Dean of Windsor and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. Due to public health guidelines because of COVID-19, some elements of the funeral plan were modified, although the funeral service was still very much in line with The Duke of Edinburgh’s wishes for a simple, no-fuss funeral.

Embed from Getty Images
David Conner, Dean of Windsor

During the funeral service, a choir of four singers (three male Lay Clerks, the adult singers of St George’s Chapel Choir, and one outside female soprano) was conducted by James Vivian, Organist & Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor and the organ was played by Luke Bond, Assistant Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The choir, located in the nave, away from the seated congregation, sang four pieces of music chosen by The Duke of Edinburgh. In line with public health guidelines due to COVID-19, there was no singing by the congregation.

The Burial

Embed from Getty Images
An artist’s depiction of the Royal Vault: The bench in the middle is used as a temporary place for coffins waiting to be interred elsewhere. Coffins of permanent burials were placed on the shelves along the sides.

By the time of King George II’s death in 1760, the royal burial vaults at Westminster Abbey were quite crowded. His successor, his grandson King George III, decided to build a new royal vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The new Royal Vault was constructed in 1804 under what is now the Albert Memorial Chapel which was once the original chapel built by King Henry III and then used as the chapel of the Order of the Garter.

Coffins interred in the Royal Vault; Credit – the-lothians.blogspot.com

After the funeral service, The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault. The vault is accessible from the quire of St. George’s Chapel where a portion of the floor can be raised for lowering coffins into the passage that leads to the Royal Vault. In 1873, a mechanically operated platform was installed to ease the lowering of coffins into the vault, and steps to the vault were added behind the high altar. On September 19, 2022, when the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin was moved to King George VI Memorial Chapel where Queen Elizabeth II’s parents King George VI, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the ashes of Queen Elizabeth II’s sister Princess Margaret are interred.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • ABC News. 2021. Order of Service for the funeral of Prince Philip. [online] ABC News. Available at: <https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/order-service-funeral-prince-philip-77126374> [Accessed 17 April 2021].
  • BBC News. 2021. Prince Philip: Duke’s four children to walk alongside coffin at funeral. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56761074> [Accessed 16 April 2021].
  • BBC News. 2021. Prince Philip funeral: Plans, timings and TV coverage. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56694327> [Accessed 16 April 2021].
  • BBC News. 2021. Who is going to Prince Philip’s funeral?. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56765468> [Accessed 16 April 2021].
  • Foster, Max and Said-Moorhouse, Lauren, 2021. Royal New: Funeral of Prince Philp. [online] CNN. Available at: <https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/16185745461597f028d3d9ece/raw?utm_term=16185745461597f028d3d9ece&utm_source=cnn_Royal+News+April+16&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1618574546161&bt_ee=2CsV8c8KA32Eq8u01ykfbTgxTwJVlgL3CstWN%2Fv1c3eXMqFwDhBFxEnwpAQtMlTU&bt_ts=1618574546161> [Accessed 16 April 2021].
  • The Royal Family. 2021. Funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/funeral-duke-edinburgh-0> [Accessed 17 April 2021].

Unofficial Royalty would like to thank all the people who visited our website

Unofficial Royalty would like to thank all the people who visited our website during the past week. It was an honor to provide so many people with information about Prince What can heavy menstrual bleeding do to harm women patients? For women viagra canada free who have the disease, the bleeding in menstrual amount can be 4-5 times of amount which is normal, every time during the period of Thriller when his attorney John Branca negotiated what he proudly declared afterward in the music industry, approximately $2 per record ever as the royalty rate that is best. Saffron M Power viagra effects women oil, the best ayurvedic sexual urge enhancers remedies to consume. Initial is cialis for cheap price if you might be taking nitric oxide or nitrates. It works the same and there is no visible effect. cheap levitra on line Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, his family, and his funeral via our many articles and media article links via our daily Royal News. On the day of Prince Philip’s funeral, the most people ever visited the Unofficial Royalty website.

Order of Service for the Funeral of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Embed from Getty ImagesThere has buy uk viagra been a systematic, planned attack to destroy the family as we know it. The way of existing alcohol cialis 40 mg detox Ky lasts for a week, but the remedial action goes on for years. It has a powerful constituent, Sildenafil http://djpaulkom.tv/dj-paul-is-selling-his-sauce-and-its-getting-hot/ tadalafil online australia Citrate that is capable to oppose all the negative health tendencies developed by the activity of PDE5 enzyme and the consumption can help the affected to be escaped from the imposed restriction over his free supply of bloods to the penile tissues by the virtue of which the affected one can regain his structure back with desired elasticity,. Many prefer being with the issue due to the embarrassment and humiliation. tadalafil prices cheap

The Order of Service for the Funeral of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was released on the evening before the funeral. It contains all prayers, hymns, and instructions. As per The Duke of Edinburgh’s wishes, no sermon or eulogy was delivered. No members of the royal family read lessons or gave readings. The service was conducted by David Conner, Dean of Windsor and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury.

During the funeral service held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, a choir of four singers (three male Lay Clerks, the adult singers of St George’s Chapel Choir, and one outside female soprano) was conducted by James Vivian, Organist & Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor and the organ was played by Luke Bond, Assistant Director of Music at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The choir, located in the nave, away from the seated congregation, sang four pieces of music chosen by The Duke of Edinburgh. In line with public health guidelines due to COVID-19, there was no singing by the congregation.

The Order of Service for the Funeral of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

All stand. The Coffin is removed from the Land Rover and is carried to the West Steps where it rests at 3 pm for the one-minute National Silence.

The Coffin is then carried to the Catafalque in the Quire. Members of the Royal Family who have walked in the Procession are conducted to their places in the Quire.

Meanwhile, the choir sings

THE SENTENCES by William Croft (1678-1727)

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. (John 11. 25-26)

I KNOW that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. (Job 19. 25-27)

WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (1 Timothy 6. 7, Job 1. 21)

All remain standing. The Dean of Windsor shall say:

THE BIDDING

WE are here today in St George’s Chapel to commit into the hands of God the soul of his servant Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. With grateful hearts, we remember the many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us. We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the Nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith. Our lives have been enriched through the challenges that he has set us, the encouragement that he has given us, his kindness, humour and humanity. We therefore pray that God will give us grace to follow his example, and that, with our brother Philip, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal.

All sit. The choir sings Eternal Father, Strong to Save – Melita (music) by J. B. Dykes (1823-1876), Lyrics by William Whiting (1825-1878), Arranged by James Vivian (b. 1974)5

ETERNAL Father, strong to save,
Whose arm doth bind the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Saviour, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amid its rage didst sleep:
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O sacred Spirit, who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
Who bad’st its angry tumult cease,
And gavest light and life and peace:
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

O Trinity of love and power,
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them whereso’er they go:
And ever let there rise to thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

All remain seated.

THE FIRST LESSON

Ecclesiasticus 43. 11-26 read by the Dean of Windsor

LOOK at the rainbow and praise its Maker; it shines with a supreme beauty, rounding the sky with its gleaming arc, a bow bent by the hands of the Most High. His command speeds the snow storm and sends the swift lightning to execute his sentence. To that end the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds. By his mighty power the clouds are piled up and the hailstones broken small. The crash of his thunder makes the earth writhe, and, when he appears, an earthquake shakes the hills. At his will the south wind blows, the squall from the north and the hurricane. He scatters the snow-flakes like birds alighting; they settle like a swarm of locusts. The eye is dazzled by their beautiful whiteness, and as they fall the mind is entranced. He spreads frost on the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed stakes. A cold blast from the north, and ice grows hard on the water, settling on every pool, as though the water were putting on a breastplate. He consumes the hills, scorches the wilderness, and withers the grass like fire. Cloudy weather quickly puts all to rights, and dew brings welcome relief after heat. By the power of his thought he tamed the deep and planted it with islands. Those who sail the sea tell stories of its dangers, which astonish all who hear them; in it are strange and wonderful creatures, all kinds of living things and huge sea monsters. By his own action he achieves his end, and by his word all things are held together.

All remain seated as the choir sings The Jubilate Deo in C by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), written for St George’s Chapel, Windsor at the request of The Duke of Edinburgh

O BE joyful in the Lord, all ye lands:
serve the Lord with gladness,
and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.

For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting:
and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

All remain seated.

THE SECOND LESSON

John 11. 21-27 read by the Archbishop of Canterbury

MARTHA said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

All remain seated as the choir sings Psalm 104 by William Lovelady (born 1945) abridged and arranged for choir and organ by James Vivian (born 1974) with the composer’s permission. Words from Psalm 104, adapted by Sam Dyer (born 1945)

The Duke of Edinburgh requested that Psalm 104 should be set to music by William Lovelady. Originally composed as a cantata in three movements, it was first sung in honour of His Royal Highness’s 75th Birthday.

MY SOUL give praise unto the Lord of heaven,
In majesty and honour clothed;
The earth he made will not be moved,
The seas he made to be its robe. Give praise.

The waters rise above the highest mountain,
And flow down to the vales and leas;
At springs, wild asses quench their thirst,
And birds make nest amid the trees.

The trees the Lord has made are full of vigour,
The fir tree is a home for storks;
Wild goats find refuge in the hills,
From foes the conies shelter in the rocks.

My soul give praise unto the Lord of heaven,
In majesty and honour clothed;
The earth he made will not be moved,
The seas he made to be its robe. Give praise.

O Lord, how manifold is your creation,
All things in wisdom you provide;
You give your riches to the earth,
And to the sea so great and wide.

You take your creatures breath and life is ended,
Your breath goes forth and life begins;
Your hand renews the face of earth,
Your praise my whole life I will sing.

My soul give praise unto the Lord of heaven,
In majesty and honour clothed;
The earth he made will not be moved,
The seas he made to be its robe. Give praise.

Let us pray. All sit or kneel.

The choir sings THE LESSER LITANY by William Smith (1603-45), adapted by Roger Judd, MVO (born 1944)

LORD, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.

The choir sings THE LORD’S PRAYER Music by Robert Stone (1516-1613) from John Day’s Certaine Notes 1565

OUR Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
But deliver us from evil. Amen.

THE RESPONSES

ENTER not into judgement with thy servant, O Lord.
For in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
Grant unto him eternal rest.
And let light perpetual shine upon him.
We believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord.
In the land of the living.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
And let our cry come unto thee.

THE COLLECT

The Dean of Windsor shall say:

O MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us by his Holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him: We meekly beseech thee, O Father that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is this our brother doth; and that, at the general resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come ye blessed children of my Father; receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this we beseech thee, O merciful Father through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

THE PRAYERS

The Archbishop of Canterbury shall say:

O ETERNAL God, before whose face the generations rise and pass away, thyself unchanged, abiding, we bless thy holy name for all who have completed their earthly course in thy faith and following, and are now at rest; we remember before thee this day Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, rendering thanks unto thee-for his resolute faith and loyalty, for his high sense of duty and integrity, for his life of service to the Nation and Commonwealth, and for the courage and inspiration of his leadership. To him, with all the faithful departed, grant thy peace; Let light perpetual shine upon them; and in thy loving wisdom and almighty power work in them the good purpose of thy perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Dean of Windsor, Register of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, shall say:

O LORD, who didst give to thy servant Saint George grace to lay aside the fear of man, and to be faithful even unto death: Grant that we, unmindful of worldly honour, may fight the wrong, uphold thy rule, and serve thee to our lives’ end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GOD save our gracious Sovereign and all the Companions, living and departed, of the Most Honourable and Noble Order of The Garter. Amen.

O GOD of the spirits of all flesh, we praise thy holy name for thy servant Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who has left us a fair pattern of valiant and true knighthood; grant unto him the assurance of thine ancient promise that thou wilt ever be with those who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters. And we beseech thee that, following his good example and strengthened by his fellowship, we may at the last, together with him, be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Archbishop of Canterbury shall say:

O LORD God, when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter, grant us also to know that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same unto the end, until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory; through him, who for the finishing of thy work laid down his life, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies and giver of all comfort: Deal graciously, we pray thee, with those who mourn; that casting every care on thee they may know the consolation of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

All sit as the choir sings THE ANTHEM – Russian Kontakion of the Departed, translated by William John Birkbeck (1859-1916), Kiev Melody, arranged by Sir Walter Parratt, KCVO (1841-1924)

GIVE rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy Saints:
where sorrow and pain are no more;
neither sighing, but life everlasting.

Thou only art immortal, the Creator and Maker of man:
And we are mortal, formed of the earth, and unto earth shall we return.
For so thou didst ordain, when thou createdest me, saying,
Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

All we go down to the dust; and, weeping, o’er the grave,
we make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

All stand.

THE COMMENDATION – As the Coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, the Dean of Windsor shall say:

GO forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul,
In the name of God the Father Almighty who created thee;
In the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for thee;
In the name of the Holy Spirit who strengtheneth thee;
May thy portion this day be in peace,
and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.

All remain standing. The Garter Principal King of Arms proclaims:

THE STYLES AND TITLES OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE PHILIP DUKE OF EDINBURGH

THUS it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this transitory life unto his divine mercy the late most Illustrious and most Exalted Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order upon whom had been conferred the Royal Victorian Chain, Grand Master and Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Lord

High Admiral of the United Kingdom, One of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal in the Army and Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Husband of Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, whom may God preserve and bless with long life, health and honour and all worldly happiness.

A LAMENT played by the Pipe Major of The Royal Regiment of Scotland

THE LAST POST sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines

After a period of silence the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry sounded REVEILLE

ACTION STATIONS sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines

Then the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces THE BLESSING

All remain standing as the choir sings THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

GOD save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save The Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save The Queen!

All remain standing in their places as Her Majesty The Queen, Members of the Royal Family and Members of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Family leave the Chapel via the Galilee Porch escorted by the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Music after the service: Luke Bond, Assistant Director of Music, St George’s Chapel, will play Prelude and Fugue in C minor BWV 546 Johann Sebastian Bach

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Born on July 1, 1534, at Haderslevhus Castle in Haderslev, Duchy of Schleswig, now in Denmark, Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway was the eldest of the three sons and the second of the five children of Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg.

Frederik II had one elder sibling and three younger siblings:

When Frederik was eight-years-old, he traveled around Denmark so the people could see the heir to the throne. He made a similar trip to Norway when he was fourteen-years-old which would turn out to be his only trip to Norway. Frederik was educated with a group of boys from noble families. Frederik’s father Christian III had established Lutheranism as the Danish National Church in 1536, and so Frederik got a strong dose of Lutheran theology. While Frederik was intelligent and had a good memory, he had difficulties with reading and spelling. Most likely, Frederik was dyslexic but his contemporaries perceived him as illiterate. In 1554, when he was twenty, Frederik was given his own court at Malmö Castle in Scania, now in Sweden.

Frederik II had a close relationship with his brother-in-law August, Elector of Saxony, who was six years older than Frederik. In 1557 – 1558, Augustus took Frederik on a trip throughout the Holy Roman Empire. They attended the coronation of the new Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and met his son, the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, and other prominent rulers. The experience gave Frederik an appreciation of the complex nature of European politics and a love for all things military.

Frederik’s father Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway died on January 1, 1559, and 24-year-old Frederik succeeded him as Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway. On August 20, 1559, Frederik II was crowned at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark. During his reign, finances were improved, agriculture and trade were promoted, and the privileges the German Hanseatic League had with Denmark were limited or abolished. Friedrich revolutionized shipping by establishing the modern lighthouse system.  He also promoted the sciences, especially astronomy, and was a patron of pioneering Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Frederik’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

During the end of his father’s reign and during the 1560s, marriage negotiations were conducted to find a bride for Frederik II. The negotiations were difficult because Frederik insisted on meeting the prospective bride before committing to her. He wanted to marry Anne Hardenberg, a noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to his mother. However, the marriage was prevented by the Danish Royal Council because Anne was not a royal princess. In 1572, Frederik’s aunt Elizabeth of Denmark who had married Ulrich III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, arranged for Frederik to meet a prospective bride, Margaret of Pomerania, at Nykøbing Castle in Denmark. Elizabeth and her husband brought along their only child 14-year-old Princess Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. Frederik and Sophie were half first cousins through their grandfather Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway. Instead of being interested in Margaret of Pomerania, Frederik II was interested in Sophie. On July 20, 1572, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Frederik II married Sophie. Despite a 23-year age difference, Frederik and Sophie had a happy marriage. Sophie is consistently mentioned in Frederik’s handwritten diary as “mynt Soffye“, meaning “my Sophie” and she always accompanied him on his travels.

Frederik and Sophie had seven children. Through their daughter Anna, they are ancestors of the British Royal Family.

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Frederik’s mother; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite his harmonious relationship with his wife, Frederik II had a quite different relationship with his mother Dorothea. Frederik and Dorothea had a tense relationship and Dorothea had always favored her younger sons Magnus and Hans. She had often used her parental authority to reprimand Frederik‘s lifestyle and this did not change after he became king. Frederik II detested his mother’s reprimands and her attempts to be involved in state affairs as she had done during his father’s reign. During the Nordic Seven Years War (1563 – 1570), fought against Sweden, Frederik discovered his mother had conducted secret negotiations with her nephew, King Eric XIV of Sweden, without his knowledge and during ongoing warfare, to arrange a marriage between his brother Magnus and Princess Sofia of Sweden, the half-sister of King Eric XIV. Frederik II put a stop to the marriage plans. Although Dorothea told her son that she only intended to benefit Denmark and to establish peace, in Frederik II’s mind, his mother had committed treason and she was informally exiled to Sønderborg Castle, where she lived out the remainder of her life.

Frederik II in his later years; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway died, aged 53, on April 4, 1588, at Antvorskov Castle, a former abbey now in ruins, in Slagelse, Zealand, Denmark. His death was sudden and unexpected and some modern historians speculate that his health deteriorated very rapidly as a result of lung cancer. Frederik II was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark. Frederik’s wife Sophie, who survived him by forty-three years, dying on October 14, 1631, at the age of 74, was buried with him at Roskilde Cathedral.

Tomb of King Frederik II and Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow – Photo by Susan Flantzer

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederik 2.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_2.> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2021. Friedrich II. (Dänemark Und Norwegen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_II._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Frederick II Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II_of_Denmark> [Accessed 16 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/dorothea-of-saxe-lauenburg-queen-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 16 January 2021].

How to Watch Prince Philip’s Funeral in the United States

Credit – Wikipedia

The active component of online viagra prescription is sildenafil citrate. These herbal pills are suitable for those who find it difficult to consume Kamagra 100mg tablets Kamagra soft tabs additionally accessible in 100mg strength as enhanced melt pills with chewable buy cialis arrangements which dissolve when set underneath your tongue. There exists must pick a rehab facility which provides aftercare service with good counsellors for a long time. cipla levitra Nephrologist generic india levitra may further specialize in curing certain type of disease.
The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh will take place on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at 3:00 PM British Time (10:00 AM US Eastern Time) at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. It will be a ceremonial royal funeral, the same as for Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002, rather than a state funeral which is usually reserved for monarchs. Unofficial Royalty will be publishing an article about the funeral over the weekend.

In the United States, the following channels will be showing the funeral:

  • ABC – coverage starts at 9:30 AM US Eastern Time
  • BBC World News – coverage starts at 7:30 AM US Eastern Time
  • CBS – coverage starts at 9:30 AM US Eastern Time
  • CNN – coverage starts at 9:00 AM US Eastern Time
  • Fox News – coverage starts at 9:00 AM US Eastern Time
  • MSNBC – coverage starts at 9:00 AM US Eastern Time
  • NBC – coverage starts at 9:30 AM US Eastern Time
  • Telemundo (Spanish language channel) – coverage starts at 9:00 AM US Eastern Time

The funeral service itself will start at 3:00 PM British Time (10:00 AM US Eastern Time). However, prior to the funeral service, there will be a procession from Windsor Castle the short distance to St. George’s Chapel which will start at 2:45 PM British Time (9:45 AM US Eastern Time). A military band, members of the military, The Duke of Edinburgh’s children (The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, The Duke of York and The Earl of Wessex), his three eldest grandsons (The Duke of Cambridge, The Duke of Sussex and Peter Phillips), his son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and the late Princess Margaret’s son David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon will accompany the coffin of The Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen will travel with a lady-in-waiting in the state Bentley at the end of the procession.

Although St. George’s Chapel can seat 800 people, due to COVID restrictions, there can be only 30 guests at the funeral. Buckingham Palace said The Queen faced some very difficult decisions in selecting the guests and wanted all branches of her husband’s family to be represented.

  • The Queen: wife of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Prince of Wales: eldest son of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Duchess of Cornwall: wife of The Prince of Wales
  • The Duke of Cambridge: grandson of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Duchess of Cambridge: wife of The Duke of Cambridge
  • The Duke of Sussex: grandson of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Duke of York: second son of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi: granddaughter of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi: husband of Princess Beatrice, Mrs. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
  • Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank: granddaughter of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Jack Brooksbank: husband of Princess Eugenie, Mrs. Jack Brooksbank
  • The Earl of Wessex: third son of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Countess of Wessex: wife of The Earl of Wessex
  • James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn: grandson of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor: granddaughter of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Princess Royal: only daughter of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence: husband of The Princess Royal
  • Peter Phillips: grandson of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Zara Tindall: granddaughter of The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Mike Tindall: husband of Zara Phillips
  • David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon: son of the late Princess Margaret, nephew of The Queen
  • Lady Sarah Chatto: daughter of the late Princess Margaret, niece of The Queen
  • Daniel Chatto: husband of Lady Sarah Chatto
  • The Duke of Gloucester: paternal first cousin of The Queen
  • The Duke of Kent: paternal first cousin of The Queen
  • Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy: paternal first cousin of The Queen
  • Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma: wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma who is the grandson of Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was killed by the IRA in 1979. The Countess was Prince Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s four sisters will be represented by members of the House of Baden, the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the House of Hesse.

  • Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden: Heir to the Head of the House of Baden, great-nephew of The Duke of Edinburgh, son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden who is the son of The Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and Berthold, Margrave of Baden
  • Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, great-nephew of The Duke of Edinburgh, son of Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who is the son of The Duke of Edinburgh’s sister Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark and Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse: Head of the House of Hesse, into which The Duke of Edinburgh’s sisters Princess Cecile of Greece and Denmark and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark married. Via their mutual descent from Queen Victoria, Donatus is the third cousin twice removed of both The Duke of Edinburgh and The Queen. Cecilie married Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine who was a grandson of Queen Victoria via her daughter Alice). Sophie first married Prince Christoph of Hesse (son of Princess Margarete of Prussia who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria via her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal). After Christoph died in World War II, Sophie married Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover who was a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via her daughter Victoria, Princess Royal.

Axel von Fersen the Younger, Favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

A prominent member of Swedish aristocracy, Count Axel von Fersen the Younger rose to the highest ranks of the Swedish royal court, serving as Marshal of the Realm for several years. He’d previously served as an aide-de-camp and interpreter to Rochambeau during the American Revolutionary War, and became a close friend and favorite of Queen Marie Antoinette of France.

source: Wikipedia

Von Fersen was born in Stockholm on September 4, 1755, the elder son of Field Marshal Axel von Fersen (the Elder) and Countess Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie. He had three siblings:

Von Fersen was raised in one of the most prominent and influential families within the Swedish aristocracy. His mother had inherited Löfstad Castle and its large estates, and his father had extensive land holdings and was one of the largest shareholders in Sweden’s East India Company. In addition to Löfstad, the family also owned Steninge Palace, Ljung Castle and Mälsåker Castle.

Queen Marie Antoinette. source: Wikipedia

Extensively educated, von Fersen became fluent in numerous languages, which would serve him very well in his adulthood. He later continued his education in the military. In 1770, he began a grand tour, traveling throughout Europe and continuing his military training at several academies in Germany, France, and Italy. During this tour, he paid visits to the royal courts of Sardinia, France, and the United Kingdom. It was while visiting France in 1774 that von Fersen first met the future Queen Marie Antoinette.

Returning to Sweden the following year, he served in the Swedish military, but continued to visit France and began developing a friendship with the future Queen. In 1780, became an aide-de-camp to General Rochambeau during the American Revolutionary War, serving until the war’s end in 1783. Upon his return, King Gustav III of Sweden made him Captain of the Guard, hoping to have von Fersen by his side as he traveled throughout Europe to garner support for his plans to invade Denmark. The French king also gave von Fersen several honorary military appointments. As tensions began to rise in France, the Swedish King appointed von Fersen as his secret envoy to the French King and Queen – subverting the usual diplomatic channels and providing a direct contact between the sovereigns.

He remained at court through the beginning of the French Revolution, and was involved with the failed plans for the French Royal Family to escape – the Flight to Varennes. A warrant was issued for his arrest for his role in the plot, but he avoided capture. He traveled to Vienna to enlist the support of the Queen’s brother – Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, resulting in the Declaration of Pillnitz which declared Prussia’s and the Holy Roman Empire’s support for the French King and monarchy.

His further efforts to protect and save the Queen and her family proved unsuccessful. He saw them for the last time in December 1791 but continued a correspondence with the Queen until her execution in October 1793. Having returned to Sweden, von Fersen later became one of the closest advisors to the new King Gustav IV Adolf, rising to the position of Earl Marshal, and by 1801, Marshal of the Realm.

A depiction of the murder of Axel von Fersen. source: Wikipedia

When King Gustav IV Adolf was deposed in 1809, the throne did not pass to his son and heir, but instead to his uncle, King Carl XIII who had no legitimate heirs. Von Fersen led the support for the former King’s son, unsuccessfully. The new King adopted a Danish prince, Carl August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg to be his heir. However, the new Crown Prince died suddenly after falling from his horse in May 1810. Rumors quickly spread that he had been poisoned by the former King’s supporters – more specifically, at the hands of von Fersen.

On June 20, 1810, the public funeral was held for the Crown Prince. As Marshal of the Realm, von Fersen was one of the leaders of the procession through Stockholm. Despite a heavy presence of guards, several people broke free from the crowd in attempts to get to von Fersen, while the guards mostly just looked on with disinterest. Fleeing the crowds, he tried to find safety in a nearby house but was quickly pursued and overtaken. He was dragged back into the street where he was quickly attacked and killed by the angry mob who blamed him for the Crown Prince’s death.

Ljungs Church. photo: Av Håkan Svensson – Eget arbete, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1455830

Several months later, he was cleared of having any part in the Crown Prince’s death, and received a state burial in Stockholm with full ceremonial honors. He is buried at the small church near his family’s Ljung Castle.

* * * * * * * * * *

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, Favorite of the Family of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

Patronymics

  • In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was born on January 21, 1869, in the village of Pokrovskoye in the Tobolsk province of Siberia, Russia. His father Yefim Yakovlevich Rasputin (1841 – 1916), a peasant farmer and a coachman, and his mother Anna Vasilievna Parshukova (1839 – 1906) were married in 1863. The couple had seven other children but all of them died in infancy and early childhood.

Like most Siberian peasants, Rasputin was not formally educated and remained illiterate until his early adulthood. Local records suggest Rasputin exhibited unruly behavior while growing up, possibly drinking, small thefts, and disrespect for local authorities. In February 1887, Rasputin married Praskovya Feodorovna Dubrovina, a peasant girl. Praskovya remained in Pokrovskoye, Rasputin’s hometown, throughout Rasputin’s later travels and his rise to prominence. She remained devoted to him until his death.

Rasputin and his children; Credit – Wikipedia

Rasputin and Praskovya had seven children but only three survived to adulthood:

  • Dmitry Grigoriovich Rasputin (1895 – ?)
  • Matryona (Maria) Grigorievna Rasputina (1898 – 1977), married (1) Boris Soloviev, had two children, divorced (2) Gregory Bernadsky, no children, divorced
  • ​Varvara Grigorievna Rasputina (1900 – ?)

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Rasputin’s daughter Matryona emigrated to France and later moved to the United States where she died in Los Angeles, California in 1977. In 1920, the property of Rasputin’s son Dmitry was confiscated and nationalized by the Soviet Union government. Rasputin’s widow Praskovya Feodorovna, his son Dmitry, and his daughter Varvara were deprived of their voting rights in 1922 because they were considered “malicious elements.” In the 1930s, all three were arrested by the NKVD, which committed mass executions without trial and administered the Gulag system of forced labor camps in Siberia during the regime of Joseph Stalin. The trace of all three was lost in the labor camps.

In 1897, Rasputin developed a renewed interest in religion and left his hometown Pokrovskoye to go on a pilgrimage. At that time, Rasputin was twenty-eight-years-old, married for ten years, and had a young son with another child on the way, so it would seem like an odd time for him to leave his family. Various sources suggest he left to escape punishment for his role in a horse theft, or perhaps he had a vision of the Virgin Mary or of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, or he was inspired by a young theological student he had met. Earlier, Rasputin had undertaken shorter pilgrimages but this pilgrimage to the St. Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye transformed him. After spending several months at the monastery, Rasputin returned to his village as a changed man. He looked disheveled, became a vegetarian, stopped drinking alcohol, and fervently prayed and sang hymns.

Rasputin spent the next several years as a strannik, a holy wanderer or pilgrim. He left Pokrovskoye for months or even years at a time to wander the country and visit holy sites. By the early 1900s, Rasputin had developed a circle of followers in Siberia. After visiting Kazan, local church officials gave him a letter of recommendation to Ivan Nikolayevich Stragorodsky, known as Bishop Sergei, the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, and arranged for him to travel to St. Petersburg. Once in St. Petersburg, Rasputin met Russian Orthodox church officials including Archimandrite Theofan, who was so impressed with Rasputin that he invited him to stay in his home. It was through Theofan that Rasputin attracted some of his early and influential followers in St. Petersburg.

Rasputin surrounded by his admirers in St. Petersburg; Credit – Wikipedia

According to Rasputin’s daughter Matryona, he was never a monk, but a starets. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a starets as a spiritual adviser who is not necessarily a priest, who is recognized for his piety, and who is turned to by monks or laymen for spiritual guidance. Rasputin, who was more of a mystical faith healer, was styled starets by his followers, although he was not officially recognized as one by the Russian Orthodox Church.

By 1905, Rasputin had formed friendships with several members of the aristocracy, including the sisters Princess Militsa and Princess Anastasia (Stana) of Montenegro, who had both married into the Russian Imperial Family and were instrumental in introducing Rasputin to Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and his family. On November 1, 1905, Rasputin’s first personal meeting with Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, took place and was noted in Nicholas’ diary: “At 4 o’clock we went to Sergievka. We drank tea with Militsa and Stana. We made the acquaintance of a man of God – Grigori, from Tobolsk province.”

After giving birth to four daughters during the first seven years of her marriage, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna felt great pressure to provide an heir. Finally, in 1904, she gave birth to a son, Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich. However, it would soon become apparent that she was a carrier of hemophilia, and her young son was a sufferer. This would cause immense emotional pain to Alexandra, and great measures were taken to protect Alexei from harm and to hide the illness from the Russian people. When Alexei’s illness eventually became public knowledge, it led to more dislike for Alexandra, with many of the Russian people blaming her for the heir’s illness.

Alexandra Feodorovna with her children, Rasputin, and nurse Maria Ivanova Vishnyakova in 1908; Credit – Wikipedia

After working with many physicians to help Alexei who suffered greatly, Alexandra turned to mystics and faith healers. This led to her close, disastrous relationship with Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. Several times Rasputin appeared to have brought Alexei back from the brink of death, which further cemented Alexandra’s reliance on him. To many historians and experts, this relationship would contribute greatly to the fall of the Russian monarchy. It is unclear when Rasputin first learned of Alexei’s hemophilia or when he first acted as a healer. There is documentation that he was summoned by Alexandra to pray for Alexei when he had an internal hemorrhage in the spring of 1907. Alexei recovered the next morning.

Alexandra and Alexei, circa 1911; Credit – Wikipedia from the Beinecke Library

The most mysterious episode of Rasputin’s legend occurred during the summer of 1912. Alexei developed a hemorrhage in his thigh and groin after a bumpy carriage ride near the Imperial Family hunting lodge at Spala, then in the Russian Empire, now in Poland. After the hemorrhage developed into a large hematoma, Alexei was in severe pain, delirious with fever and close to death. Rasputin was in Siberia and Empress Alexandra asked Anna Vyrubova, her lady-in-waiting and close friend, to send him a telegram asking him to pray for Alexei. Rasputin quickly sent back a return telegram, telling Alexandra, “God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much.” Although Alexei’s condition did not change during the next day, Alexandra was encouraged by Rasputin’s words and regained some hope that Alexei would survive. The following day, Alexei’s bleeding stopped. One of the physicians who attended Alexei in Spala admitted that “the recovery was wholly inexplicable from a medical point of view.” He later admitted that he could understand how Alexandra could see Rasputin as a miracle worker: “Rasputin would come in, walk up to the patient, look at him, and spit. The bleeding would stop in no time. How could the empress not trust Rasputin after that?”

Rasputin, Nicholas, and Alexandra, anonymous caricature in 1916; Credit – Wikipedia

The belief of Nicholas II’s family in Rasputin’s healing powers brought him considerable status and power at court. He was suspected of exerting political influence over Nicholas II and was even rumored to be having an affair with Alexandra. Opposition to Rasputin’s influence grew within the Russian Orthodox Church. Even Imperial Family members became concerned with Rasputin’s influence when Nicholas II left St. Petersburg to take supreme command of the Russian armies fighting in World War I, leaving Alexandra in charge as Regent.


Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia and Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov; Credit Wikipedia

Eventually, a group of conspirators plotted to murder Rasputin in hopes of ending his influence over Nicholas II’s family. The conspirators were led by two men, one a member of the Imperial Family and one who married into the Imperial Family. Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia was the second child and only son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (a son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Princess Alexandra of Greece (a daughter of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia). Therefore, Dmitri was the first cousin of Nicholas II as their fathers were brothers. (A side note, Dmitri was also the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh as Dmitri’s mother and Philip’s father were siblings.) Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov was a Russian aristocrat who was wealthier than any of the Romanovs. Felix married Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia, Nicholas II’s only niece, the daughter of his sister Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia.

Along with Dmitri and Felix, Vladimir Purishkevich, a deputy of the Duma, the Russian legislature, was one of the main conspirators. Dr. Stanislaus de Lazovert, a physician, and Sergei Mikhailovich Sukhotin, a lieutenant in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, also were participants. On the night of December 29-30, 1916, Felix invited Rasputin to Moika Palace, his home in St. Petersburg, promising Rasputin that his wife Irina would be there, although she was not there. According to his memoir, Felix brought Rasputin to a soundproof room in a part of the wine cellar and offered Rasputin tea and petit fours laced with a large amount of cyanide, but the poison had no effect.

The room in the Moika Palace where Rasputin was brought; Credit – Wikipedia

Felix then offered Rasputin wine, and after an hour Rasputin was fairly drunk. The other conspirators were waiting in a room on another floor of the palace and Felix then went upstairs and came back with Dmitri’s revolver. He shot Rasputin in the chest and the wounds appeared to be serious enough to cause death. However, Rasputin escaped, struggling up the stairs and opening an unlocked door to the courtyard. Purishkevich heard the noise, went out to the courtyard, and shot Rasputin four times, missing three times. Rasputin fell down in the snow. Again, Rasputin should have been dead, but he was still moving. One of the conspirators shot him in the forehead. Rasputin’s body was thrown off the Bolshoy Petrovsky Bridge into an ice-hole in the Malaya Neva River and was found on January 1, 1917.

Police photograph of Rasputin’s corpse, found floating in the Malaya Nevka River, 1917; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was buried on January 3, 1917, at a small church on the grounds of the imperial residences at Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg. Nicholas II, Alexandra, their four daughters, and Alexandra’s ladies-in-waiting Anna Vyrubova and Lili Dehn were present. The imperial chaplain read the service, Nicholas and Alexandra threw earth on the coffin, and Alexandra and her four daughters threw white flowers in the grave. After dark, on March 22, 1917, the day Nicholas returned to his family at Tsarskoye Selo after his abdication on March 15, soldiers removed Rasputin’s coffin from its burial place and took it to a clearing in the forest. There Rasputin’s remains were burned to prevent his burial site from becoming a place of pilgrimage.

Site of the alleged burial of Rasputin; Credit – By User:Monoklon, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67511259

After Rasputin’s murder, the St. Petersburg authorities refused to arrest the conspirators because the murder they committed was considered politically acceptable. Instead, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich was exiled to Persia (now Iran), a move that most likely saved his life during the Russian Revolution, and Prince Felix Yusupov was exiled to his estate in Rakitnoje, near Belgorod, Russia and the Ukraine border.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Grigori Rasputin. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin> [Accessed 14 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Murder Of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/murder-of-grigori-yefimovich-rasputin/> [Accessed 14 January 2021].
  • Ja.wikipedia.org. 2021. グリゴリー・ラスプーチン. [online] Available at: <https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B4%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%BC%E3%83%81%E3%83%B3> [Accessed 14 January 2021].
  • Massie, Robert, 1967. Nicholas And Alexandra. New York: Random House.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2021. Распутин, Григорий Ефимович. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BF%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD,_%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%95%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87> [Accessed 14 January 2021]

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway, Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg was born on July 9, 1511, at Lauenburg Castle in Lauenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the second of the six children and the eldest of the five daughters of Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg and Catherine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Dorothea had five siblings:

King Christian III of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea’s homeland, the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg, was one of the first states of the Holy Roman Empire to accept the Protestant Reformation and so Dorothea came to her marriage as a Lutheran. On October 29, 1525, in Lauenburg, fourteen-year-old Dorothea married the twenty-three-year-old future King Christian III of Denmark and Norway, son of Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg.

Dorothea’s dowry of 15,000 guilders was considered extremely small. The groom’s father Frederik I, who had only reluctantly given his permission to the marriage, did not attend the wedding. Frederik I was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Christian already had Lutheran views and, as King, would turn Denmark Lutheran. Perhaps, Frederik I’s refusal to attend his son’s wedding was due to religion and the small dowry. Dorothea and Christian initially lived in Hadersleben, now Haderslev, Denmark, where Christian resided as governor of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

Dorothea and Christian had five children:

After a reign of ten years, Christian’s father Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway died on April 10, 1533. However, because of religious differences caused by the Reformation, a power struggle ensued regarding the succession. This resulted in a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, which led to Christian ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III. In 1537, Christian III was also recognized as King of Norway. On August 6, 1536, Dorothea and Christian made their official entry into Copenhagen, Denmark. Four days later, Dorothea rode a snow-white horse at the side of her husband to Copenhagen Cathedral where they were crowned King and Queen of Denmark. Two months later, Lutheranism was established as the Danish National Church.

King Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

The relationship between Dorothea and Christian was a happy one. Christian trusted her and allowed her a great deal of influence. Contemporary accounts tell show her to have been politically active and to have participated in state affairs. Shortly after his succession to the throne, Christian III supported plans to have Dorothea appointed future regent of Denmark should their son, the future Frederik II, succeed to the throne while still a minor. However, these plans were defeated by the Danish State Council, and particularly by Johan Friis, the Chancellor of Denmark, whom Dorothea came to strongly resent. Friis also prevented Dorothea’s admission to the Danish State Council after the death of her husband.

Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway died on January 1, 1559, aged 55, at Koldinghus, a Danish royal castle, on the Jutland Peninsula in Kolding, Denmark. He was buried in the Chapel of the Magi at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in a tomb designed by Flemish sculptor Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. His 25-year-old son succeeded him as Frederik II, King of Denmark and Norway. After Christian III’s death, Dorothea took over the management of Koldinghus, where she resided with her own court. She made annual trips to visit her daughters Anna, Electress of Saxony and Dorothea, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Shortly after Christian III’s death, Dorothea fell in love with Johann II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Haderslev, Christian III’s unmarried half-brother from his father’s second marriage to Sophie of Pomerania. Johann was ten years younger than Dorothea and as early as 1559, there was talk of marriage. However, the marriage was opposed by various theologians who considered it impossible for a widow to marry her late husband’s brother and was eventually prevented, despite several years of efforts from Dorothea.

Dorothea’s son King Frederik II; Credit – Wikipedia

Dorothea and her son Frederik II had a tense relationship and she had always favored her younger sons Magnus and Hans. She had often used her parental authority to reprimand Frederik‘s lifestyle and this did not change after he became king. Frederik II detested his mother’s reprimands and her attempts to be involved in state affairs as she had done during her husband’s reign.

During the Nordic Seven Years War (1563 – 1570), fought between Sweden and a coalition of Denmark, Norway, Lübeck, and Poland–Lithuania, the tension between Dorothea and her son Frederik II reached a breaking point. Dorothea was strongly against the war and repeatedly offered herself as a mediator as her nephew Eric XIV was King of Sweden. Frederik II warned his mother to stay out of state affairs. However, Dorothea continued her contact with Sweden. In 1567, Frederik II discovered that his mother had conducted secret negotiations, without his knowledge and during ongoing warfare, to arrange a marriage between his brother Magnus and Princess Sofia of Sweden, the half-sister of King Eric XIV of Sweden. Frederik II put a stop to the marriage plans. Although Dorothea told her son that she only intended to benefit Denmark and to establish peace, in Frederik II’s mind, his mother had committed treason and she was informally exiled to Sønderborg Castle, where she lived out the remainder of her life.

Tomb of King Christian III and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg – Photo by Susan Flantzer

Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway died on October 7, 1571, aged 60, at Sønderborg Castle in Sønderborg, Denmark. She was initially buried at the Sønderborg Castle Chapel (link in Danish). In 1581, her son Frederik II had her remains transferred to Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark where she was buried next to her husband King Christian III.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2021. Dorothea Af Sachsen-Lauenburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_af_Sachsen-Lauenburg> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Dorothea Of Saxe-Lauenburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_of_Saxe-Lauenburg> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2021. Christian III, King of Denmark and Norway. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-iii-king-of-denmark-and-norway/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].

The Laird o’ Thistle – Special Edition – The Passing of Prince Philip

by The Laird o’Thistle
April 9, 2021

Buckingham Palace announced the news at mid-day: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning [9 April 2021] at Windsor Castle.” The news was a surprise, and not a surprise. He was so very old, and so very frail-looking in the final pictures of him leaving hospital last month.

Thoughts immediately began to fly in my head. The first one was “Well, he got his wish!” (Philip’s remark from some years back, that “he could think of nothing worse!” than turning 100, has been widely reported over the last year or so. And so here he dies, two months short of the mark.) My second thought was, “How will this affect the Queen?” She turns 95 herself twelve days from now.

Any death, even in one so elderly, even when anticipated, rips a tear in the fabric of a family. Queen Elizabeth has lost her deeply beloved spouse of nearly 73½ years, the man she is said to have adored since 1939 when she was a teenage Princess and he a handsome naval cadet (and Prince). At age 72, Prince Charles has lost his father… with whom he did not always have an easy relationship. Princess Anne has often been said to be the closest to her father of the four children. Prince William has been particularly close to his grandparents ever since their staunch support at the time of Princess Diana’s death; and it was Philip who volunteered to walk with him and Prince Harry in Diana’s funeral procession. The two youngest grandchildren, Prince Edward’s Louise and James, have grown up almost literally on the doorstep of Windsor Castle, with Lady Louise taking up Philip’s love of carriage driving. And, and, and…. All the dynamics now shift and change.

Prince Philip died at Windsor Castle, where 160 years ago the previous Prince Consort (a title Philip never officially held) also died. In the 2005 BBC documentary series, WINDSOR CASTLE – A ROYAL YEAR, Philip commented that Prince Albert’s ongoing heritage was a hard act to follow. Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, was born at Windsor in 1885, in the presence of her great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Prince Philip had served as a very hands-on Ranger of the Great Park at Windsor since 1952, and oversaw the rebuilding and restoration effort after the 1992 fire. He also co-designed the great formal rose garden on the castle’s east terrace.

Who was he? Born a Prince of Greece and Denmark, he was the eldest living member of the former Greek royal family. Until today he was also perhaps the closest living relative of both Czar Nicholas II (a first cousin of Philip’s father) and the Czarina Alexandra (his mother’s aunt). He was a serving Naval Officer in both the Mediterranean and Pacific in WWII, later given the historic title of Lord High Admiral by the Queen. He was something of an explorer in the early years of the Queen’s reign, and an early environmentalist. He painted in oils.

His big job in life, however, was to be “supporting the Queen” in her role as monarch. It was Philip who broke the news to Elizabeth of her father’s death in February 1952. Always a few steps behind… or wandering off on his own at times… on state occasions and royal visits, HM described him on their 50th wedding anniversary (23 years ago!) as “simply my strength and stay all these years.” Although viewed with some apprehension by members of the “establishment” in early years (reportedly including Churchill, and Queen Mary, for instance, but not King George VI), he departs the scene as the longest-ever British royal consort, and as a careful hand in the many adaptations the royal family has necessarily made since 1952.

It has been noted how this last year of quarantine together has proved something of an ironic “gift” to the Queen and Prince Philip, giving them more time together, day-by-day, than they have had since early on in their marriage.

In interviews at the time of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (2012) and her 90th birthday (2016) there began to be speculations about how she might cope when he eventually stepped out of the picture. Would it impede her ability to carry on? Some of the answer began to emerge after Prince Philip’s retirement from royal duties in 2017. Often accompanied by younger members of the family, the Queen has kept on keeping on… at least until now. Now, we’ll see what happens.

It has previously been reported that – unlike the late Queen Mum – Prince Philip decidedly did not want a big state funeral. His preference is said to have been for something more modest and private. We’ll now see how things unfold. Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions will certainly be a factor. Greater privacy will, I think, be a true blessing for his widow and family.

Back in that 2005 documentary, Prince Philip refused to try to say what his legacy might be. That, he thought, was for others to determine. “You just hope that you’ll leave things better than they might have been otherwise.” In that, there can be little doubt that he succeeded. Well done, Sir. And, thank you!

Yours aye,

Ken Cuthbertson – the Laird o’ Thistle