Kiwi tenor picked as one of four who sang at Prince Philip's funeral

As millions watched Prince Philip's funeral from around the world, there were two particularly nervous viewers sitting at home in the Central Otago town of Clyde.

With the normal 30-strong choir stripped back to just four lone voices, Kiwi Nick Madden was picked to perform as a solo tenor. 

His parents admit it was "frightening" but they couldn't be prouder. 

The solemn simplicity of just four lone voices - suited to a no-frills Prince - echoed through the nave of St George's Chapel on Saturday (UK time).

Madden was one of them, singing his way onto the soundtrack of Royal history.

During the early hours back at home in New Zealand, his bleary-eyed and sweaty-palmed parents watched nervously. 

"It was a big moment for him, but we were obviously very proud," says dad Richard Madden. 

They were also proud when the Kiwi tenor sang as part of the choir at Harry and Meghan's wedding, but today was something special.

"He did say that when he found out he was going to be one of the four, that he was finding it hard to fathom that he would be dealing with a potential audience of a billion people," explains Richard.

Among the audience, singing along from her living room in Whangarei, was Beverly Long.

A royalist since she was 11-years-old, she and her husband's fondness for the Queen and Duke dates back to the start of both their marriages  

Thousands of pieces of memorabilia adorn her home, some just of Prince Phillip, including a bust of the late Duke.

"He just sits up on the pulpit looking at us every day while we're having our meals," Long explains. 

But as was the story of his life, pieces without the Queen are few and far between. 

"It's hard to find something just of the Duke by himself because it's usually got the Queen on it," says Long. 

While Her Majesty was front of mind as they watched from their armchairs, the Duke of Edinburgh will be missed in homes and hearts far beyond just those of Windsor Castle.