The Most Moving Photos from Prince Philip's Funeral — Held 2 Years Ago Today

Prince Philip was laid to rest on April 17, 2021 in a scaled-down ceremony attended by only 30 family members and close friends due to COVID-19 restrictions — see images from the funeral

Prince Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years, died on April 9, 2021. His funeral was held on April 17 — but instead of a grand ceremony one might expect for a dedicated member of the royal family, a guest list of only about 30 family members and friends gathered for the burial ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Prince Philip was highly involved in planning elements of his funeral, including his coffin being carried by a custom Land Rover.

Before the ceremony began, the Duke of Edinburgh's riding cap and gloves had been placed on his carriage on the grounds of Windsor Castle, a touching tribute to his passion for carriage driving. A small red pot that could be seen on the carriage had been long used by Prince Philip to hold the sugar lumps he fed his horses after carriage driving.

All four of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth's children — then-Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — took part in the funeral procession.

Prince Harry returned to the U.K. (he and his wife, Meghan Markle, relocated to California in 2020) for his grandfather's funeral. He walked in the procession in step with his brother, Prince William — though the two were separated by their cousin Peter Phillips walking between them.

Prince Harry, whose relationships with Prince William and then-Prince Charles were strained amid his exit from his royal role, later said of the funeral, "It was hard — especially spending time having chats with my brother and my father, who just were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation. So none of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather's funeral, but we did."

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the funeral guests were seated based on household with many empty spaces between them.

In a heart-wrenching scene, Queen Elizabeth sat alone wearing a black face mask as she watched the funeral ceremony, including Prince Philip's coffin be lowered into the vault below the chapel.

Queen Elizabeth wore a diamond brooch with connections to multiple royal weddings to say goodbye to her husband. The Richmond Brooch was gifted to Queen Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary as a wedding present in 1893. While Queen Mary often wore the piece as a necklace, Queen Elizabeth sported it as a brooch on multiple occasions, including at grandson Prince Harry's 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle at the same venue.

Kate Middleton joined Prince William at the service. She wore wore Queen Elizabeth's Bahrain Pearl Earrings, made from pearls gifted to the Queen on the event of her wedding to Prince Philip, and the Queen's Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker, which she previously wore at the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary party in 2017.

Former palace spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson told PEOPLE that the scaled-down ceremony was "ironically" how Prince Philip "would have liked" his funeral to be.

"No fuss, no bother. Right through his life, he never knew what all the fuss was about," she said.

A larger memorial service for Prince Philip was held on March 29, 2022, at Westminster Abbey. The service provided an opportunity for representatives of the many charities and organizations that Prince Philip worked with to pay tribute to him. Queen Elizabeth attended, despite her mobility issues, along with many members of the royal family.

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