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Prestigious boarding school which boasts Queen as patron marks passing of Prince Philip

Queen Elizabeth II watches as pallbearers carry the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh into St George's Chapel - Getty Images Europe
Queen Elizabeth II watches as pallbearers carry the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh into St George's Chapel - Getty Images Europe

A prestigious state boarding school, which counts the Queen as its patron, has marked the funeral of Prince Philip with its own commemorative service on Saturday evening.

Gordon’s School, founded in 1885 with the help of Queen Victoria, live streamed its pupils sounding the Last Horn and lowering the Union Flag on its school grounds just a few hours after the Duke was interred at Windsor.

Since the Duke of Edinburgh’s death on April 9, flags at the Surrey-based school have been flown at half-mast.

The school had previously entertained visits from Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth in 1985 and had marked Her Majesty’s 90th birthday with a special parade attended by Gulf War veteran Major General Tim Sulivan CB CBE DL.

Marking the Duke’s passing on Saturday, the school posted on Facebook: “The Last Post was sounded at Gordon’s School this evening as the Union flag was lowered at the end of the day on which HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral took place in nearby Windsor.

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“Since his death last week, flags at the school in West End, Surrey Heath, whose Patron is Her Majesty the Queen, have been flying at half mast.

“After the flag was lowered by Drum Major Rose Roberts, Pipe Major Owen Carter played a lament, outside the school chapel in tribute to His Royal Highness.”

Gordon’s School was founded as a National Memorial to the celebrated war hero and philanthropist, Major-General Charles George Gordon - more commonly known as Gordon of Khartoum.

General Charles Gordon - Hulton Archive
General Charles Gordon - Hulton Archive

Gordon became a national hero in Victorian Britain after he was decapitated by Sudanese soldiers while single-handedly leading the defence of British-held Khartoum in 1885.

Each year in January, the school's students parade through Whitehall following the Pipes and Drums band and take part in a service held behind the Ministry of Defence, where a statue stands to remember the soldier's life.

Winston Churchill acclaimed Gordon as one of Britain’s greatest military heroes yet conceded in an interview the man was nonetheless “erratic, capricious and utterly unreliable.”

His life was later immortalised in the Oscar-winning 1966 film Khartoum with Hollywood icon Charlton Heston starring as the general.