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Prince Philip: A Celebration exhibition opens at Windsor Castle this month including his Coronation robes, private journal and Chair of Estate

Items once belonging to The Duke of Edinburgh are to go on public display this summer.

Prince Philip's Coronation clothing and the chair he sat in in Westminster Abbey, are among 150 objects being prepared for the special exhibition Prince Philip: A Celebration.

HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh died in April. He was 99.
HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh died in April. He was 99.

The displays are being organised by The Royal Collection Trust in tribute to Britain's longest-serving consort who died on April 9 - two months before his 100th birthday which would have been today.

The first display will open at Windsor Castle on Thursday, June 24 - the same date that the Royal Mail's new black and white portrait stamps of the Duke of Edinburgh are also available for the first time.

Royal Mail has released a new collection of stamps to mark the life of The Duke of Edinburgh, also available to buy from June 24
Royal Mail has released a new collection of stamps to mark the life of The Duke of Edinburgh, also available to buy from June 24

A second exhibition is scheduled to open at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on July 23.

Destined for public display in Windsor will be the robe and coronet worn by the Queen's husband for her 1953 Coronation as well as his historic Chair of Estate, which had been kept in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's Coronation took place in June, 1953
The Queen's Coronation took place in June, 1953

Many of the objects also chosen for the Windsor display have been selected to highlight the Duke's close associations with the Castle and its local community.

His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was born at Windsor Castle in 1885, and the journal in which her great-grandmother Queen Victoria recorded the birth and described the new-born as ‘very pretty’ will be among the items visitors can see.

Prince Philip's chair has been taken from the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021
Prince Philip's chair has been taken from the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

Prince Philip’s roles as Ranger of Windsor Great Park, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Chair of the Restoration Committee following the Windsor Castle fire of 1992 will also be explored through the exhibition.

And gifts presented to him during state visits, overseas tours and official engagements will be included too.

Personal gifts and those presented to him on state visits will also be on display. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021
Personal gifts and those presented to him on state visits will also be on display. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

Among them at Windsor Castle, a First Nations feather headdress presented to The Prince during a Commonwealth visit to Canada in 1973 and a wine cooler in the shape of a giant grasshopper presented by President Pompidou of France in 1972.

Prince Philip's funeral took place at St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, on April 17 and so the Chapel's south quire aisle is also to be used to celebrate his faith and service to society with a display of archived materials and old photographs.

The Duke Of Edinburgh's funeral took place at Windsor Castle on April 17. More than 730 members of Armed Forces personnel took part in the ceremony
The Duke Of Edinburgh's funeral took place at Windsor Castle on April 17. More than 730 members of Armed Forces personnel took part in the ceremony

While in Edinburgh, items from his wedding to HRH The Princess Elizabeth in 1947, including the wedding invitation, order of service and wedding breakfast menu is being given to the displays.

On the occasion of their wedding, Prince Philip was granted the Royal Dukedom of Edinburgh and so this display will look particularly at his connections to Scotland and its capital city.

Items the Duke of Edinburgh wore for the Coronation will be part of the display. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021
Items the Duke of Edinburgh wore for the Coronation will be part of the display. Picture courtesy of: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2021

For more information about the exhibition and to book tickets to see it at Windsor Castle please click here.

From next month Buckingham Palace is also welcoming visitors to picnic on its lawns and is allowing visits to it's gardens unaccompanied.

To find out more about going inside the palace, click here.

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