Prince Philip to be honoured with service at Westminster Abbey next year
23 December 2021, 15:11 | Updated: 23 December 2021, 16:53
A service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh will take place next year, Buckingham Palace said.
The service will be held in spring 2022 at Westminster Abbey in London and it is understood a guest list is being finalised.
No date has been announced by Buckingham Palace but it will be confirmed in due course.
The special service which will honour the Duke is likely to consist of family, friends, dignitaries and representatives of the charities and organisations which he was associated with.
His Royal Highness passed away at Windsor Castle aged 99 in April.
Read more: Prince Philip: The Duke of Edinburgh Dies Aged 99
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He was married to The Queen for 74 years, serving as her "strength and stay" for the entirety of her reign.
Following his death, The Queen said she and her family were in a "period of great sadness", but that she was comforted by the tributes paid to him.
"We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life," she said.
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Saturday marks the Queen's first Christmas without her husband.
She will be spending it at Windsor, where the pair spent their last Christmas together before Philip's death, as a "precautionary" measure amid rising coronavirus cases.
The Duke retired from public life in May 2017 when he stopped carrying out engagements on behalf of the crown.
He officially retired on 2 August of that year, having carried out 22,219 solo engagements since 1952.
