George and Charlotte join parents at Prince Philip's thanksgiving service
Watch: William, Kate, George and Charlotte attend Philip’s memorial
Prince George and Princess Charlotte have made a rare public appearance at a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh.
Joining their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their great-grandmother the Queen, the royal children attended the service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
The poignant occasion offered an opportunity for the Queen to remember her husband of 73 years among family and friends, after the limitations imposed on the duke’s funeral during the pandemic.
Prince George, 8, and Princess Charlotte, 6, are among the congregation to honour their late great grandfather, with the event featuring elements he planned for his own funeral which were forbidden due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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The siblings arrived holding the hands of their parents, with Princess Charlotte wearing a navy coat and Prince George looking smart in a navy suit and tie with a pale blue shirt.
The occasion marks a key moment in their public lives, being one of the first events the young royals will be meeting and greeting important members of the congregation and the first major televised church service they have attended.
It's understood their little brother Prince Louis, three, is considered to be too young to attend the service.
The Cambridges were greeted by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, who was conducting Tuesday's service.
During a touching moment inside the service Prince William was seen guiding his son to find the correct place in the order of service as the first hymn began.
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Savannah, 11, and Isla Phillips, 10, the daughters of Prince Philip's eldest grandson, Peter, were also in attendance, both wearing navy with their hair fixed back with headbands.
Zara and Mike Tindall's eight-year-old daughter Mia, was also there, wearing a black coat with red detailing and navy headband.
The Westminster Abbey service is to be attended by some 1,800 guests including senior members of the royal family.
It is set to include some elements that were not able to go ahead during Prince Philip's funeral due to coronavirus pandemic.
His funeral at St George's Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask.
During this thanksgiving service, some of the Duke's expressed wishes will be honoured including the congregation singing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.
Orchids that featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet will also be included among the flowers for the service amid arrangements in patriotic red, white and blue.
The white dendrobium orchids will be included in smaller posies of flowers, as a touching nod to the Duke’s lifelong devotion to the Queen.
The service will also be kept to 45 minutes to also reflect the Duke's wishes.
The occasion marked a rare opportunity for royal fans to see Prince George and Princess Charlotte in public, with the children not appearing at many official events recently.
The Cambridges last appeared together at a performance of the pantomime Pantoland at the London Palladium in December 2020.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte were joined by younger brother Prince Louis, with the siblings walking the red carpet together, hand-in-hand with their parents.
George wore a red-and-blue striped sweater and collared shirt, while Charlotte dressed in a plaid dress and black tights with Louis looking dapper in a dark blue jacket.
Prior to that the royal children have not been seen in public since Christmas 2019, when they attended a Christmas Day Church Service with their parents.
They did, however, make some unofficial appearances with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during the pandemic while Clapping for Carers.
And Princess Charlotte was also pictured arriving for her first day of school back in September 2019.
