A quiet funeral service attended by family and friends will be held for the Duke of Norfolk.

The 17th Duke, Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, died on Monday at his home in Hambleden, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, aged 86.

The Earl of Arundel was at his bedside.

The funeral service will be a more low-key affair than previous family funerals and will take place at Arundel Cathedral at noon on July 5. The Duke will be interred in the family vault at the castle.

The public will not be invited but local people are welcome to attend a special Mass at the cathedral the day before. Flags are flying at half mast at the castle as a mark of respect.

Robert Bruce, controller of the castle, said the whole family had been saddened.

He said: "The Duke died peacefully with his family around him. They are all very upset, as you can imagine."

The Duke had an office at the castle but never lived there. It is home to the Duke's son and his wife, Lord and Lady Arundel.

Mr Bruce said the Duke was being mourned throughout the town.

He said: "Many local people have worked at the castle and knew the Duke. Some of the staff and guides are extremely upset. He was a well respected man."

The Duke was born in 1915 and served in the Army for 30 years before working in military intelligence.

A Roman Catholic, he represented the Queen at the installation of Pope John Paul II.

He married Anne Mary Teresa Constable Maxwell in 1949.

They have two sons and three daughters.

His eldest son, Edward, Lord Arundel, will become the 18th Duke of Norfolk.

The Queen led the tributes, saying she was deeply saddened at the Duke's death.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, paid tribute to the Duke, describing him as a "true Christian gentleman".

He said: "His faith permeated his life and he was extraordinarily generous in the time and effort he gave to charitable work.

"I was happy to be included among his close friends."

The Duke was a deputy lieutenant of West Sussex.

Today Hugh Wyatt, Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex said: "He made a great contribution to West Sussex and will be greatly missed."