Prince Philip to become the 25th Royal laid to rest in 200-year-old vault

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The late Prince Philip is to become the 25th member of royalty laid to rest in the 200-year-old crypt of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

According to The Daily Mail, the remains of the late Duke of Edinburgh will be interred behind a set of iron gates in a 16ft underground vault at the conclusion of his funeral today.

Other notable royals buried there include George III, George IV, George V of Hanover, and William IV.

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The Mail reports that Queen Victoria's father Prince Edward, George III's wife Queen Charlotte, and Queen Mary's grandfather Prince Adolphus, are also buried at this site.

The Duke's body will be Royal Vault at approximately 3:00PM, Greenwich Mean Time, on Saturday, April 17.

His body will remain there until the death of his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, upon which time, the body will be moved to join the Queen's, along with her father in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Previous British monarchs were laid to rest in a royal vault under the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

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However, George III was forced to commission a new place of rest under the Albert Memorial Chapel in Windsor in 1810, owing to the lack of space in Westminster.

Buckingham Palace first announced the news of Prince Philip's death at the age of 99 in an official statement made on Friday morning, which read:

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."

A total of 30 guests, including Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, have been confirmed to be attending the Duke's funeral - which has been scaled back due to Covid social distancing restrictions.

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, has confirmed that she will not be attending the service, owing to the advice of her personal doctors.

While there will be no public access, the service and short procession will be televised. The royal family has asked that the public do not visit Windsor to pay their respects, in the interests of national health and safety during the pandemic.

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