Prince Philip's funeral will be held April 17, palace announces

Prince Charles paid a personal tribute on Saturday to his "dear papa" Prince Philip, saying the Royal Family missed him enormously and that the 99-year-old would have been amazed at the touching reaction to his death from aroundthe world.

Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, who had been at her side throughout her record-breaking 69-year reign, died at Windsor Castle on Friday, at age 99.

"As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously," said Charles, the couple's eldest son and heir to the throne,outside his Highgrove House home in west England.

"My dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time."

Pandemic-adjusted funeral plans

Buckingham Palace announced that the funeral for Philip would be held on April 17, and that the Queen's grandson, Prince Harry, who now lives in the United States, would attend.

Harry's wife,Meghan Markle, who is pregnant with their second child, will not attend ondoctor's advice, according to the palace.

The palace said long-established plans for the funeral had to be redrawn and scaled down because of COVID-19 restrictions, but they remained very much in line with Philip's wishes.

Philip, who was officially known as the Duke of Edinburgh, will be given a ceremonial royal funeral, not a state funeral, as had been planned before the pandemic.

But there will be no public processions, and it will be held entirely within the grounds of Windsor Castle and limited to 30 mourners.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said hewill not be among the guests at the funeral in order to make space for as many family members as possible.

WATCH | Prince Charles pays tribute to his father:

'My dear Papa was a very special person:' Prince Charles

4 years ago

Duration 1:21

Prince Charles remembered his father Prince Philip's service to Queen Elizabeth Saturday and expressed appreciation for the tributes and well wishes since Philip's death Friday.

The funeral, which will be broadcast on live television, will be held at St. George's Chapel on the castle grounds and will be preceded by a minute's silence across the country.

Charles and other members of the Royal Family will walk behind a specially-modified Land Rover, which Philip helped design. At the conclusion of the service, Philip will be interred in the Royal Vault.

Buckingham Palace stressed the service would be held in line with government coronavirus guidelines, meaning members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, would be expected to wear masks.

Philip's children pay tribute

Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, meanwhile, travelled to Windsor Castle on Saturday to visit with their mother. Philip and the Queenhad been married for over 73 years.

Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, spent aboutan hour at the castle, andSophietold reporters "the Queen has been amazing" as the couple left Windsor in a Land Rover.Andrew waved at crowds as he left.

Prince Charles visited his mother on Friday, shortly after Buckingham Palace announced Philip's death.

In a tribute program aired by the BBC on Friday,all four of Philip's children remembered him as someone who had encouraged and supported them.

Charles described his father's life as an "astonishing achievement," while Edward said his father had a tough job that was carried out with the most "extraordinary flair."

Princess Anne praised the support her father had provided her mother, from her early years as Queen.

"They needed to be a double act for a lot of that time to allow her to take on that role."

In honour of the prince, the armed forces, including artillery units in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, and some warships, fired DeathGunSalutesat noon local time on Saturday.

WATCH | Prince Philip honoured with military gun salutes:

U.K. armed forces fire guns to mark Prince Philip's death

4 years ago

Duration 1:21

Military gun salutes honoured the Duke of Edinburgh at various locations across Britain on Saturday.

Royal Navy ships HMS Diamond and HMS Montrosetook part in the ceremonies to honour the Duke of Edinburgh, who served as a naval officer during the Second World War and held the office of Lord High Admiral.

Gun salutes also marked the deaths of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965.

A nation mourns

The Royal Family asked the public to heed physicaldistancing rules and avoid visits to its residences, but people still gathered to placecards and bouquets outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and pay tribute to Prince Philip.

Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain have been lowered to half-mast and billboard operators replaced adswith photographs and tributes to the prince.

Sporting events observed moments of silence in his honour.

WATCH |Prince Harry to attend Prince Philip's funeral:

Prince Harry to reunite with Royal Family at Prince Philips funeral

4 years ago

Duration 2:10

Prince Philip's upcoming funeral will be limited to 30 people because of COVID-19 restrictions and will mark the first time Prince Harry sees his family since last year. Some royal watchers say this is a chance to heal his relationship with the Royal Family.