London, Apr 17 (IANS): Visitors and residents of Windsor gathered on the streets of the town watching the funeral service of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, on their mobile phones.

Prince Philip is being laid to rest at the Windsor Palace in a small family affair due to Covid-19 restrictions, the dpa news agency reported.

After a minute of almost complete silence at 1400 GMT (7:30 pm IST), people in front of the castle began clapping.

The streets are said to be "full", however, several people started to leave the castle once the service began.

Laura Griffiths from the West Midlands told dpa: "I wanted to be part of it. It's our Royal family so I felt I needed to pay my respect in person even though we were advised not to."

"I feel very sombre. It's a very sad day. A very sad day for the queen and the Royal family. I've always been a rule-breaker so I broke them today of all days," she added.

The police have warned people to stay away from the castle as gatherings are in breach of the coronavirus restrictions.