Prince Philip laid to rest in Royal Vault but it's not his final destination. Here's why.
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Prince Philip's remains were interred after his funeral services Saturday – but this isn't the Duke of Edinburgh's final resting place.
His family gathered at St. George's Chapel in London eight days after the duke died April 9 at age 99. Because COVID-19 restrictions, there were just 30 mourners at the ceremony and masks were required.
After the services, Prince Philip's coffin was taken to the royal vault, which lies beneath the chapel and houses the remains of King George III, who died in 1820, King George IV and King William IV. But when the time comes, Philip will be relocated to be near his devoted wife of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II.
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Upon the queen's death, the duke will be transferred to the gothic church’s King George VI memorial chapel, the resting place of Queen Elizabeth's parents, George VI and Elizabeth.
The pale stone annex, which was added on to the north side of St. George’s behind the North Quire Aisle in 1969, is marked with a black stone slab set into the floor. It is inscribed with King George and Elizabeth's names in gold letters, accompanied by their years of birth and death. When Queen Elizabeth II dies, she'll join her parents in this annex and will be accompanied by her late "strength and stay" Prince Philip.
The portion of Saturday's service where Prince Philip's coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault was not shown in the live broadcast. The camera panned to a shot of a bagpiper performing while the duke was interred.
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Others entombed there include George III’s wife Queen Charlotte and their daughter Princess Amelia, George IV’s daughter Princess Charlotte and Queen Victoria’s father the Duke of Kent.
Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, was cremated and her ashes were initially placed in the Royal Vault, before being moved to the George VI memorial chapel with her parents’ coffins when the Queen Mother died just weeks later.
Contributing: Kieran Doody, Windsor Observer, and Maria Puente, USA TODAY
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince Philip funeral: His coffin will move after Queen dies. Why?
