Prince Edward's Wife Sophie Recalls Emotional Moment During Prince Philip's Funeral: 'Everything Stopped'

Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, have opened up about Prince Philip's funeral, which took place nearly two months ago.

The members of the royal family gathered together on April 17 to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth's husband, who died at age 99 on April 9. Due to the pandemic, only 30 guests were allowed inside St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle so the venue was nearly empty, which made the service more "poignant," according to the royal couple.

"It's always difficult with these kinds of things because you're in the middle of it, so you've got no idea what it necessarily looks like from the outside. It became really poignant to be there because it was suddenly so very intimate," Prince Edward told The Telegraph.

"You don't actually think about lots of people watching, because it becomes so personal," Sophie added.

The Countess of Wessex also recalled a moment during the service "when everything stopped."

"It was when the order was given to the soldiers to invert their weaponry," she shared.

During that moment, military personnel were required to point their rifles down and bow their heads as they waited for Prince Philip in his hearse. According to Sophie, "everything went still" at the time.

"I think the fact that there were so few of us only served to raise the intensity of it," she added.

Prince Edward's wife sympathized with Queen Elizabeth, who had to sit alone during the funeral of her husband of 73 years. She also felt for those who were not able to attend the funeral due to the restrictions.

"To see Her Majesty on her own; it was very poignant," the countess continued. "I really felt for friends and family, as well as people from the Duke's organizations who were devastated that they couldn't pay their respects. But it would have been the same for every other family everywhere else."

Sophie noted that the service had been "done beautifully" and that it was perfect for the late duke because there was "minimum fuss – it's what he would have wanted."

Prince Edward, who is the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, will inherit his father's title as the Duke of Edinburgh once his brother Prince Charles ascends to the throne.

He also spoke about his parents' marriage in a prerecorded interview with ITV that was meant for broadcast when Prince Philip died.

"My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas," Prince Edward said.