Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died at the age of 99 on April 9, 2021, his coffin was placed on a marble slab in a part of the Chapel known as Quire, where it was lowered into a 200-year-old vault.
For royal commentators, the moment when Prince Philip’s coffin was lowered into the vault by an electric motor was described as “unique” as for the first time such an intimate act was seen worldwide. Although the television cameras did not capture the entire process.
Lowering of Prince Philip’s coffin
This historic event made Philip the 25th member of the royal family to be buried in the Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip’s Coffin in the Royal Vault
The Royal Vault at Windsor was created between 1804 and 1810 for George III, who died in 1820. George IV and William IV were also buried there. George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte and his daughter, Princess Amelia, George IV’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, and Queen Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent.
King George VI Memorial Chapel | Who are buried there?
The Queen’s father, George VI, was buried in the vault, but was later moved to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which was built next to the north aisle of Quire between 1968 and 1969. There also rests the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
After the death of Her Majesty last September 8, the coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh will be transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel to rest eternally next to his wife, Queen Elizabeth II.