‘I’ll walk if you walk’: Story behind why Prince Philip walked with Harry, William at Princess Diana’s funeral

LONDON (WJW/AP) — After news of Prince Philip’s death Friday, many photos and stories from throughout the years quickly resurfaced as the world remembered and mourned him.

Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle at the age of 99.

One photo, in particular, that’s being widely shared, shows Prince Philip walking with Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles and Earl Spencer at the funeral of Princess Diana.

(L to R) The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana, Princess of Wales, 06 September 1997. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Central London to watch the funeral procession. The Princess died the week before in a car crash in Paris. (Photo credit should read JEFF J. MITCHELL/AFP via Getty Images)

Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. At the time, Prince William was 15, and Prince Harry 12.

The Evening Standard reports that the decision to allow Prince Harry and Prince William to accompany her coffin from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey was “controversial” at the time.

Prince William in the 2017 documentary “Diana: 7 Days That Shook the Windsors” said it was a family decision.

“It wasn’t an easy decision and it was a sort of collective family decision to do that… there is that balance between duty and family and that’s what we had to do,” he said, according to the BBC.

The Evening Standard reports that Prince Philip was concerned for his grandsons and very outspoken at the time regarding that role in the funeral procession.

A former government relations director told The Evening Standard that at dinner the night before the funeral, Prince Philip is said to have told his grandsons: “I’ll walk if you walk.”

Prince William and Prince Harry marked their grandfather’s death in full-page tributes on the websites of their respective foundations.

Prince Philip will be laid to rest with all the honors due to a prince of the United Kingdom and a consort to Queen Elizabeth II.

Because of the pandemic, Philip’s body will not lie in state and he will not have a state funeral, in keeping with his wishes.

His funeral will be held in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west of London, and is likely to be attended by close family. The palace has invited well-wishers to sign a book of condolences — but only online, to avoid crowds and queues.

Flags on government buildings and royal residences were lowered to half-mast and British television networks canceled scheduled programs to allow for special coverage after Philip died Friday at 99.

His death will be marked with 41-gun salutes at noon on Saturday at locations across the country, including the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle, as well as in Gibraltar and on Royal Navy ships at sea.Suggest a Correction

The Associated Press contributed to this report.