CAPTION: Exeter Cathedral will hold a commemorative service for Prince Philip at 4:30pm on Thursday 15 April
Commemorative Services Across Devon for HRH Prince Philip
In honour of the late Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Philip, there will be three commemorative services across Devon on Thursday 15 April.
There will be a Torbay Unitary Authority service at St Paul’s Church, Preston at 10am where the Bishop of Crediton, The Right Reverend Jackie Searle will be preaching. The service will be livestreamed on the Torbay Council Facebook page.
There will be a Plymouth Unitary Authority service at St Andrew’s Church, Plymouth at 3pm. The Bishop of Plymouth, The Right Revered Nick McKinnel will be preaching. The service will be available to watch at 3pm on Thursday on the Plymouth County Council Facebook page and YouTube channel.
At Exeter Cathedral there will be a Devon County service at 4.30pm. The Bishop of Exeter, The Right Reverend Robert Atwell will be preaching. The service will be live streamed on the Exeter Cathedral Facebook page at 4:30pm on Thursday. You can now view the Exeter Cathedral Order of Service.
Due to coronavirus restrictions these services will not be open to members of the public, but all are invited to watch and participate online.
Other churches in Devon may also be holding a service in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh. St Peter’s Tiverton will be holding a commemorative service at 12 noon on Wednesday 14 April.
Churches across Devon have been paying tribute to HRH with flowers, half mast flags and bell ringing
The services will be remembering the life and achievements of the Duke who had significant connections to Devon.
In his youth, Prince Philip trained at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
The college was also where HRH and the Queen had their first publicised meeting in 1939.
Prince Philip later became Captain General of the Royal Marines, whose training base is at Lympstone in Devon.
Throughout his life the Duke proudly returned to the South West for military parades as well as with the Queen and the Royal family.
The service at Exeter Cathedral on Thursday is expected to be attended by official representatives of the Royal Family, armed forces and civic leaders, including the Lord Lieutenant of Devon, Lord Mayor of Exeter, High Sheriff of Devon, Commander of Lympstone’s Commando Training Centre, Captain of Dartmouth’s Britannia Royal Naval College, Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen, and council leaders.
Also attending will be two pupils from St Peter’s School, Exeter, who are currently participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
Taking place just two days before the funeral, The Very Revd Jonathan Greener hopes that Thursday’s service will provide a helpful focal point for remembering the Duke of Edinburgh:
“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 count-less others around the world.”
Although unable to invite everyone to the memorial service due to Covid safety regulations, Exeter Cathedral has extended its open hours for this week, and set aside a safe, Covid-compliant space for anyone wishing to visit, remember and reflect on the life of Prince Philip.
Last Saturday, the Cathedral also joined churches across the country in tolling its bell 99 times – once for every year of the Duke’s life. Read more about how churches across Devon have been remembering the Duke here.
Expected to attend the service in Torbay along with the Bishop of Crediton include the Mayor of Torbay, Torbay Council Chief Executive, Archdeacon of Totnes, Torbay Area Dean, Torbay and South Devon NHS Chief Executive, and Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope representing the Lord Lieutenant.
