A commemorative service was held in remembrance of Prince Philip earlier this evening (16/04) at Great St Mary’s Church in Cambridge.

In his introduction, the Associate Vicar Reverend Devin McLachlan referred to the ceremony as intending to “commemorate the life of a great man” to the socially-distanced audience, many of whom were wearing black attire.

The former Duke of Edinburgh, who served as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1976 to 2011, as well as Visitor of Churchill College and Honorary Fellow of Trinity College and of St Edmund’s College, passed away “peacefully” at Windsor Castle last Friday morning (09/04) at the age of 99.

A series of readings were given throughout the event, including the first lesson, an extract from Revelation 7, being given by Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope.

The main address, given by Rev’d Devin McLachlan, described Philip as “a passionate supporter of this community” during his time as Chancellor, and proceeded to praise the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme for allowing “millions of people...to make new discoveries about their capacity for resilience.”

He also described the Duke’s “life of commitment to his marriage and nation and community,” and closed his address by saying: “We look to his works and find inspiration in his...deep curiosity and abiding commitment.”

The service also featured singing by members of the church’s choir, including Edgar Bainton’s ‘And I saw a new heaven’ as the anthem, with lyrics from Revelation 21:1-4, a passage that is commonly read at funerals and remembrance services.

The choir also sang the Orthodox Kontakion for the Departed and the national anthem, but the congregation was not permitted to sing due to ongoing Covid-19 guidelines, which restrict singing in clerical settings to choir members only.

Prince Philip’s ceremonial royal funeral will take place at Windsor Castle, in St George’s Chapel, tomorrow afternoon (17/04). His coffin will be transferred from the private chapel at Windsor Castle, where it is currently located, to the Castle’s State Entrance, before being moved in a custom-made Land Rover Defender TD5 130, a model which the Duke helped design, to St George’s Chapel.

The service will host thirty attendees, excluding pallbearers and clergy, in accordance with the government’s coronavirus guidelines, and will begin at 15:00 BST, when a nationwide minute’s silence will be observed in his memory.

The period of national mourning in commemoration of his death will also end tomorrow, with the Royal Family continuing to observe mourning for a further week.

The procession and ceremony will be televised live by the BBC tomorrow, and tonight’s service at Great St Mary’s can be viewed in full here.