No Plan B for Prince Philip's funeral

In life, the Duke of Edinburgh did his duty come rain or shine. In death, there will be no lowering of expectations.

Funeral plans for the Iron Duke will go ahead in full whatever the weather, it is understood, with no Plan B for rain or snow.

Unlike plans for royal weddings – which in recent years have taken into account the possibility of downpours – the Royal family and military will honour the Duke just as he wished regardless of the forecast.

It will be a fitting send-off for a royal whose final official engagement before his retirement at the age of 96 took place in heavy rain. In August 2017, he appeared on the Buckingham Palace forecourt as Captain General of the Royal Marines, wearing a light coat and a bowler hat.

In 2012, he was hospitalised with an infection after a river pageant to mark the Diamond Jubilee, in which he stood for the 80-minute journey in a downpour as a mark of respect for the Queen, event organisers and the public who had turned out out to celebrate the occasion.

The Met Office currently forecasts an overcast afternoon, with the temperature at 12C, on Saturday, when the funeral takes place at 3pm.

A source confirmed that the procession, in which members of the Royal family and the Duke's household will walk behind a Land Rover bearing his coffin, will take place in all weathers.

It is due to last eight minutes, as the party moves from the state entrance of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex are among those expected to walk to honour the Duke as a father and grandfather as well as the consort who dedicated his life to Queen and country.

Details of a bespoke hearse, designed by the Duke himself some years ago, remain under wraps, with a team from the Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) bringing his vision to life. Sources have suggested it is open top, with two – one green and one black – prepared as "belt and braces" before one is chosen.

The Lord Chamberlain's Office, led by the Queen's Comptroller, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Vernon, will spend this week making final arrangements for the Duke's send-off, which will be televised.

The department has planned the ceremony in minute detail, from the precisely-timed arrival of each member of the Royal family to how they will comply with the Government's Covid regulations.

Members of staff were on Monday seen carrying a roll of matting through the castle's Henry VIII Gate, while a Waitrose delivery van also arrived at the royal residence in Berkshire.