The life of HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh is being remembered with prayers and thanksgiving during services in our cathedrals this week which are being livestreamed for people to join in from home in these unprecedented times.
Reflect, Pray and Give Thanks: Cathedrals remember HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
All services are by invitation only with a limited number of guests from the armed forces, from civic and county life and some invited pupils who have benefitted from the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
Please check your local cathedral website for latest information on times and how to join in online.
The UK is officially in a period of national mourning up to and including His Royal Highness, Prince Philip’s funeral, taking place at 3pm on Saturday afternoon at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Cathedrals and churches will toll muffled bells and silence will be observed at that time. Visit our events section of the website for more information on the services being held across the country.
Thursday 15th April
Exeter Cathedral has confirmed plans for a live broadcast of its Duke of Edinburgh Service today (Thursday) at 4:30pm.
The special service, which will be live streamed to the Cathedral’s Facebook page, is expected to be attended by official representatives of the Royal Family, armed forces and civic leaders and county leaders and two pupils from St Peter’s School, Exeter, who are currently participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Led by the Bishop of Exeter, The Right Revd Robert Atwell, and the Dean of Exeter, The Very Revd Jonathan Greener, the service is the first major civic occasion to be held at the Cathedral since lockdown, and will include music from the Choir of Exeter Cathedral.
The Dean of Exeter, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener said:
“Many people in Devon feel a particular affinity with Prince Philip – not least because of his burgeoning Naval career at Dartmouth, where he first met Princess Elizabeth.”
“So it is important that we can have this special service as a shared time to remember the Duke of Edinburgh, reflect on his passing, and give thanks for an extraordinary life that has influenced countless others around the world.”
Exeter Cathedral has extended its open hours for this week and set aside a Covid-compliant space for anyone wishing to visit, remember and reflect on the life of Prince Philip.
A half muffled bell will toll at Leicester Cathedral from 4.40pm today until the service at 5pm which will be attended by a small invited congregation from across the city and county led by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire and civic and public leaders.
The service will be led by the Dean and Bishop of Leicester and can be accessed on the Cathedral’s Facebook page.
Friday 15th April.
Southwell Minster will hold two services of Holy Communion at 1.15pm and again at 4.30pm including prayers for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Places may be booked and will be restricted.
York Minster has announced further services of commemoration and thanksgiving for the life of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The Dean of York, the Right Revd Dr Jonathan Frost said:
“This week, the nation will come together to pay our respects to a remarkable man who dedicated his long life to service. We approach this week with sadness, but also with a sense of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh.
“We will remember his sacrificial service, his care for the environment, his visionary work for young people through the awards scheme that bears his name and, above all, for the support he gave to Her Majesty the Queen.”
Services include a Choral Evensong on Friday at 5.30pm which will be limited to adhere to the Coronavirus restrictions and will be available via livestream on the Minster’s website at www.yorkminster.org and its social media channels.
There will be Morning Prayer, Holy Communion and Evening Prayer on Saturday, the day of the funeral, when the Minster’s Great Peter Bell will toll from 2pm for one hour and the minister will be open for private prayer and the lighting of candles.
On Wednesday 21 April there will be a formal civic service with prayers, readings and music. The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable, Stephen Cottrell will preach at the service and this be available via livestream. www.yorkminster.org
There will be a Service of Evensong on Friday at 6pm at Ripon Cathedral with a reflection from the Dean, the Very Revd John Dobson. Ahead of the service, the tenor bell will toll muffled 99 times to mark each year of his life.The service will be ticketed to limit numbers.
Ripon Cathedral will remain open from 10am to 7pm daily where there is a dedicated space for reflection, candle lighting and prayer.
Similarly, a choral service of thanksgiving in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral dedicated to remembering the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh will take place on Friday and is restricted to invited guests only and livestreamed on the cathedral’s Facebook page.
The Very Revd Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, will lead the choral service sung by the Cathedral Edmund Consort. He said:
“The prayers of the county of Suffolk will be focused on St Edmundsbury Cathedral as we meet to give thanks for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, a life well lived in remarkable service of his Her Majesty The Queen and country.
“Recent days have given us fresh insights into the depth of his commitment to a wide variety of causes: the prophetic nature of his passion for the protection of the environment, the flourishing of young people and harmony between world faiths.
“All of these will be reflected in our service of thanksgiving on Friday.”
Members of the public can watch the service, which will include prayers and readings, on Friday at 3.30pm online via Facebook.
The cathedral is open from 9am-4pm Tuesday to Thursday for prayer and reflection. People can light a candle and there are special prayer cards for the Duke of Edinburgh.
Chelmsford Cathedral will livestream a special Evensong on their Facebook page @chelmsfordcathedral at 5.15pm which will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, Jenny Tolhurst, The Bishop of Barking, The Rt Revd Peter Hill, and a small number of people from civic life, the voluntary sector and other faith groups.
In Chichester there will be a Choral Evensong with Prayers for Prince Philip at 5.30pm. Due to social distancing requirements, attendance at this service is limited and by online booking only.
This event will also be live-streamed to the Cathedral website, Facebook and YouTube pages.
Further information here.
Winchester Cathedral will hold a special online Service of Commemoration for Prince Philip, on Friday 16th April at 5.30pm.
The Service will be broadcast live, and will include choral music, prayers and tributes from the Dean and Chapter of Winchester, the Queen’s representative; the Lord-Lieutenant and a special reading from William Weaver, a Duke of Edinburgh Award holder.
The Service will take place online on Friday 16th April at 5.30pm and will be broadcast live via the Cathedrals website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Bradford Cathedral will remember the Duke in a service at 6pm on Friday – more details and the link for streaming.
Peterborough Cathedral will hold a service for Prince Philip at 5.30pm with a limited pre-booked congregation and it will live streamed.
Wells Cathedral will hold a service of Choral Evensong on Friday at 5.15pm that will be centred around thanksgiving for the life of HRH Prince Philip. This service will take place in the Nave of the Cathedral and will be livestreamed.
The Cathedral’s tenor bell will be tolled before the service. Entry is by ticket only and there will be limited attendance and you can join in online here.
Coventry Cathedral has a civic service planned for Friday at 6 pm, with attendance limited to a list of 30 being put together by the City Council.
It will be live-streamed via our Facebook page (tiny.cc/cathfacebook) and then available on its YouTube channel (tiny.cc/cathyoutube)
Sunday 18th April.
St Albans Cathedral too will hold a service on Sunday at 4pm on their YouTube channel with a limited audience of invited guests.
Liverpool Cathedral is holding an Evensong at 3 pm, to reflect the life of HRH. More details are on their website here.
The service is by invitation due to Covid restrictions but is being live streamed on You Tube.
There will be a minute’s silence on Saturday before our 3 pm evening prayer begins.
Lichfield Cathedral will hold a County Evensong Service for HRH Philip Duke of Edinburgh at 3pm with invited guests from civic and county life and those representing various community organisations.
The service will be livestreamed, and will be led by the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Revd Adrian Dorber and the preacher is expected to be the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave. www.lichfield-cathedral.org
Blackburn Cathedral will remember the Duke during its Evensong Service on Sunday at 4pm. It too has as dedicated area for people to light a candle and take a prayer card for the Duke. The service will be livestreamed.
At 3pm on Sunday, the Bishop of Southwark will lead a Choral Evensong in commemoration of HRH The Prince Philip at Southwark cathedral.
The readings will include Sonnet LX by William Shakespeare, read by Timothy West.
The service will be streamed on the Southwark Cathedral website as well as its Facebook page and You Tube channel.
Tuesday 20th April.
Gloucester Cathedral will hold a County Evensong service in thanksgiving for the life of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, in partnership with the Diocese of Gloucester and the Gloucestershire Lieutenancy. Representatives of the County will take part and the Blessing will be given by Bishop RachelTreweek. The service will be live-streamed for the general public.
Gloucester Cathedral is currently open between 11am-4pm (12noon-4pm on Sundays) for those wishing to say prayers or light a candle.
Full details can be found here.
Durham Cathedral will mark the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh by celebrating his life on the eve of HM The Queen’s 95thbirthday on Tuesday 20 April at 5.15 pm with the Durham Cathedral Choir.
The service is not open to the public and will be livestreamed on the cathedral’s Facebook page.
