Prince philip funeral: public told to ‘stay away’ - how to pay tribute

Preparations are underway for the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which will take place on Saturday, April 17. The ceremony for the Queen's husband, who died last week aged

99, will be held at St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, at 3pm BST. Before this, the Duke's coffin will be involved in a short procession through the grounds as

the event is pared-back due to coronavirus restrictions. HOW CAN YOU PAY YOUR RESPECTS? Buckingham Palace has asked the public not to leave flower tributes or head to Windsor for the

funeral, as gathering in groups is illegal under Covid rules. The palace said: "The Royal Family have the safety and wellbeing of the public in mind during these challenging times.

"The Family therefore ask that anyone wishing to express their condolences does so in the safest way possible, and that the public not gather at Royal Residences." Instead, the

family suggests anyone wishing to pay their respects "consider making a donation to a charity of their choice, or one of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Patronages in memory of His Royal

Highness". READ MORE: ROYAL POLL: SHOULD ROYAL FAMILY PUT DIFFERENCES ASIDE? CAN YOU HEAD TO WINDSOR ON THE DAY? Due to the coronavirus restrictions, the public is being asked to stay

away, and gathering in large groups would flout lockdown rules. John Story, mayor of Windsor and Maidenhead, said: "It is a very difficult time for people and people have very strong

feelings, but we have to ask everyone to put theirs and the health and safety of others at the top of their list of priorities and not come into Windsor. "The whole of the funeral,

including the ceremonial procession, is taking place inside the castle walls. "Normally you would expect this to take place along the Long Walk and through Windsor but this year it

cannot happen. "I hope, at the end of the day, that people will regard it as having been a very respectful day and a very safe one. "It will be a very sad day for us all. I think

it will be quite an emotional day and it will be a big national moment, because he has been such a large part of our lives for a very long time indeed." Mr Story said that if anyone

comes to Windsor "there will be nothing to see" and they should instead comply with official advice not to gather in large groups in public places. He added it is "just a sign

of our times" and an "odd" part of his job that he is now telling people to stay away and watch the event at home when he would usually be encouraging them to visit. Mr Story

said it was a "great honour" for his district to host the funeral. But he warned that if people gather despite warnings not to, "the officers on the day will take whatever

operational decisions which are required". He added: "It is a really serious message that everyone stays away." A Thames Valley Police spokesman said it is understood that

people will want to pay their respects during this time of national mourning. However, the spokesman added: "We would ask that the public respect the royal household's wishes and

the Government advice by not visiting royal residences or gathering in public, in order to protect each other and reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. "Additional officers will

be patrolling Windsor town centre along with the surrounding area to help provide reassurance and keep local residents, businesses and people safe."