Prince Philip's funeral will have only one non-relative among the 30 individuals allowed to be at the ceremony due to the COVID-19 guidelines and she is none other than Countess Mountbatten of Burma, mostly known to her friends as Penelope Knatchbull.
The countess, who earned her title following the death of her mother-in-law, had been Philip's most frequent visitor at his Wood Farm estate when he retired in 2017. But their friendship dated long before that and she has been basically regarded as part of the family.
Knatchbull, a noblewoman, is married to Philip's nephew and godson, Norton Knatchbull, Lord Romsey, the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Lord Romsey is also the grandson of Lord Louis Mountbatten, whom Prince Charles regarded as his second father.
The Knatchbulls are close to Charles. The Prince of Wales was part of their wedding entourage and is also the godfather of one of the Knactchbull kids.
According to reports, Countess Mountbatten became close to Philip after the death of one of her children at the age of five. The Duke of Edinburgh became a great source of comfort to her when he frequently invited her to join him at his favorite activity of riding carriages.
Countess Mountbatten eventually took up carriage riding as well and was a regular visitor of Queen Elizabeth's Royal Windsor Horse. She also has a special relationship with Her Majesty. There had been a running joke among the royal courtiers that any guest list with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had to include the countess as the third name because she was that close to the couple.
The countess and her husband ended their marriage in 2010. Despite this, she and Lord Romsey continue to live in one estate after a few years of separation. It is believed that she spends more of her time with the Windsors and has been a regular at Sandringham and Balmoral as
Sources said that the countess and the Duke of Edinburgh, who was 30 years her senior, shared "decades of affection" and having her at the funeral would be exactly what the late royal could wish for as she will be a great comfort for the queen.
Also in attendance, aside from the queen, the countess, the children and the grandchildren, are the queen's cousins and three of the duke's grandnephews. His relatives flew from Germany days ago and had to be in quarantine before they will join the royal family at Windsor Castle.
The funeral of Prince Philip will start before 3:00 p.m. London time and will be streamed live across major networks on social media platforms and YouTube.
