On Saturday, April 17, the late Duke of Edinburgh's funeral will take place, and many aspects of the event will stand apart from traditional royal funerals.
One such detail is the hearse. For 16 years, Prince Philip, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, designed and modified a Land Rover Defender TD5 130 chassis cab vehicle to be his hearse.
For those close to the royal family, it's no surprise. Prince Philip loved Land Rovers and drove them for most of his life, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The hearse will take his coffin in a procession that will start at the state entrance of Windsor Castle and through the grounds to St. George's Chapel, where the service will take place.
According to Sky News, the Land Rover was built in 2003 at a factory in Solihull, England.
At the age of 82, Philip began modifying the vehicle in collaboration with the Land Rover company. He had it repainted a green color, called dark bronze green. The green is a significant color and is a nod to the prince's military service. Philip served as an officer in Britain's Royal Navy during World War II.
The Land Rover also has an open-top rear with special "stops" designed to secure the coffin, according to Sky News.
The final details of the modification were completed in 2019 when Philip was 98, according to the AP.
Thierry Bollore, Jaguar Land Rover's chief executive, told Sky News that the company was "deeply privileged to have enjoyed a very long and happy association with the Duke of Edinburgh over many decades."
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the UK's restrictions on public gatherings, Philip's funeral will be a much smaller event. Only 30 guests will be in attendance, including the Queen and the royal family.
While Philip was eligible to have a state funeral as consort to the Queen, he once said that he didn't want the "fuss," according to a 2017 report by The Independent. And although he didn't want a state funeral, Sky News reported that Philip's initial plans included a large attendance with 800 guests.
Additionally, the public has been asked not to attend any funeral events due to the coronavirus, and the processions will not be public.
The funeral will be televised, however, and millions of people in the UK and around the world will tune in to watch the historic event. Here's how you can watch in the US and UK.
