WINDSOR – The city that more than any other linked to the royal family stopped today for the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died last week at the age of 99. In the personal history of Elizabeth and her husband, Windsor has a special place. here they met, when the then princess was just thirteen, here they said goodbye. Despite Covid and the invitation not to gather, the citizens wanted to show all their affection to the sovereign, who appeared small, fragile and alone: hundreds of people crammed behind the barriers, ran in front of the castle knowing that they would not see anything, that the entire ceremony would take place beyond the walls of the fortress, that unlike many joyful occasions, such as Harry and Meghan’s wedding, there would be no no parade in the streets.
In Windsor, Elizabeth’s people watched the funeral on mobile phones, on iPads, in pubs that could serve customers outdoors. So many people moved, so many people who in the funeral of Prince Philip they recognized personal mourning suffered in the year of Covid. Like Helen, 83, and daughter Emma, 57, who lost their husband and father Philip during the epidemic. It makes our hearts to look at the queen, they said, drying their tears. We know what he’s going through. We are very sorry for you. From the streets they heard the cannon shots, the distant notes of the military bands, they observed the minute of silence, while the smiling face of the duke shone in the shop windows, Union Jacks fluttered from windows and balconies and everywhere there was a last message: Rip Prince Philip, stay in peace.
Philip had repeatedly shown himself to the citizens of Windsor in private clothes. On the beloved gig – in the castle park he would stop to say hello if he happened to meet someone, says Sheena, 78 – on the electric taxi that Filippo had developed well before the clean energy revolution and which he drove with pride. We knew he drove his cab, always said hello, looked like he was having fun, recalls Jim, the (true) taxi driver. If the royal family has been reunited by mourning, Windsor huddled around his queen with a touched and heartfelt hug.
April 17, 2021 (change April 17, 2021 | 20:06)
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