Johnson to give up seat at Prince Philip’s funeral for royal family member

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend Prince Philip’s funeral, giving up his place for a royal family member.

Just 30 people will be allowed to attend Philip’s funeral next Saturday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson from the prime minister’s office said that Johnson “wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral,” according to multiple reports. 

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth II, died on Friday at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace announced that the prince died “peacefully” at Windsor Castle, where he and the queen have spent much of the last year during the pandemic.

Philip reportedly did not want the “fuss” of a state funeral at Westminster Hall, according to The Times of London. His body is expected to lie in St. James Palace.

Johnson honored Philip after the news of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, saying that he “earned the affection of generations here in Britain, across the Commonwealth and around the world.”

The prime minister said that the royal family lost “not just a much loved and highly respected public figure, but a devoted husband, a proud and loving father, grandfather, and in recent years, great grandfather.” 

The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom also announced that it is suspending national campaigning until Tuesday and again next Saturday, the day of Philip’s funeral, according to multiple reports. 

Prince Harry will travel from his home in the U.S. to attend the memorial, although his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has been advised not to travel by her physicians due to her pregnancy.