Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance since Prince Philip’s funeral on Tuesday of last week, where she attended the traditional event of her formally opening the British Parliament.
Arriving at the Palace of Westminster by car, she was accompanied by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. But as footage from the event surfaced, it became clear there was one usual detail that was missing – and it was a tragic one.
Queen Elizabeth sat alone as she bid a final farewell to her husband Philip during his funeral – reports stated the Prince himself had been involved in the plans for his send off.
Prince Philip’s funeral
So, why did Queen Elizabeth sit alone? Well, reports say that was to do with the COVID-19 pandemic and its regulations within the UK – all guests who aren’t members of the same household were required to sit two-meters apart at the time of the funeral. Since the Queen and the late Prince Philip had been in their own bubble in quarantine, she wasn’t allowed to join members of her family who’d been in another bubble.
Prince Philip also had two final wishes for his goodbye, which the Queen made sure to fulfill.
The funeral service was led by the Dean of Windsor, who took the time to pay tribute to Prince Philip’s “kindness, humor and humanity”, as well as the “many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us”.
“We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our Queen, by his service to the nation and the Commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith,” the Dean added.
According to the Daily Mail, Philip oftentimes told his beloved wife, Queen Elizabeth, that he wanted his final journey to be “stuck” in the back of the Land Rover, and then “driven to Windsor”.
The Queen fulfilled his final wish
The Land Rover was designed in part by Philip himself, and is said to be a modified “Defender 130 Gun Bus”, commissioned in 2005. The Land Rover was flanked by several pall bearers reflecting Prince Philip’s special relationships with the military – the Royal Marines, Regiments, Corps and Air Stations.
“Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and drive me to Windsor,” he once told the Queen when discussing his funeral, Daily Mail reports.
But the Land Rover wasn’t the only wish Prince Philip wanted for his final goodbye. A royal source told the New York post that Philip also wished to pass away in the comfort of his own home – something that was also realized.
“It was the Duke’s fervent wish to die peacefully at home,” the royal source said. “We knew that when he was taken home it was to die on his own terms, not in a hospital bed, but in his own bed.
“Philip didn’t want any fuss. He wanted to do things his way until the end,” the source added.
The mourning period for Prince Philip officially came to an end on April 22. Since Philip’s death, the Royal Family have reportedly been doing all they can to help the Queen and support her going forward.
Expressed her gratitude
“The Duke of Edinburgh is irreplaceable and the Queen’s dedication to duty is undiminished,” a source told the Mirror.
“But senior officials and members of the family have long had an eye on ensuring she is more supported in the future and it seems sensible to start employing this now.”
The passing of her beloved husband has been tough on Queen Elizabeth. Besides the support of her family, she is reportedly using her dogs to cope with her grief.
Going back to work alone, especially following such a long time in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will undoubtedly be hard for the Queen. She recently celebrated her 95th birthday, the first one without her beloved husband in many, many years.
For her birthday, the Queen expressed gratitude for all the wonderful tributes to Philip from around the world. Furthermore, she said that they had helped her family through these very tough times times.
Queen Elizabeth wrote:
I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate.
While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.
Prince Charles to help her
My family and I would like to thank you for all the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.
The Queen has now returned to her royal duties, and it looks like she’s coping well.
Yet while she continues with her work, daily life will undoubtedly be a deal emptier without her beloved husband. Elizabeth has remained steadfast in her duties for almost seven decades since inheriting the throne in 1952. Throughout this time, she’s battled personal turmoil within the Royal Family, global conflicts and many changes in the UK. She’s also done all of that with Philip by her side.
Given her advanced years, it’s safe to say Elizabeth’s work isn’t getting any easier.
This, as per reports, may mean that some of the Queen’s responsibilities might be handed over to others. For instance, her son and heir to the throne, Prince Charles. Not only that, but her grandson and the second-in-line to the throne, Prince William, may also need to step up.
“Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on,” a source told People in early April.
“She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life,”
The Queen to start stepping back
The source added: “She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him.”
A source told the Daily Mirror, meanwhile: “The Duke of Edinburgh is irreplaceable and the Queen’s dedication to duty is undiminished.”
Even though Elizabeth will continue with her duties as Queen, it will likely be extremely reassuring to have Prince Charles at her side. One royal expert even believes she will start stepping back, and therefore Charles will begin to appear more in public.
“In fact, she will be grateful for him to be taking over in making I imagine quite big decisions on behalf of the royal family,” she said.
With the Queen now 95 years old, former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt claims that she soon will begin to slowly retract from the spotlight, and instead allow others to do the heavy lifting.
Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance
“Fundamentally, the queen will fade away gracefully,” Hunt said.
“Covid has helped in the sense that it has accelerated what any sensible 95-year-old woman would want to do, which is not stand on your feet all day long.”
The Queen has many responsibilities and important ceremonial functions. However, one of the most significant is to formally open the British Parliament. Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth did just that, in what was her first public appearance since the funeral.
Usually, the Queen wears her Imperial State Crown, as well as ceremonial robes, during the event. She also usually travels by coach on her way to parliament. However, this year was different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Queen was instead taken to the Palace of Westminster in a car. And instead of the State Crown and robe, she wore a beautiful lilac colored dress and a hat.
Both Prince Charles and his wife Camilla accompanied the Queen into the Lords’ chamber. However, Charles didn’t sit next to her as he – and Philip – had done before.
Prince Philip’s throne taken away
Since Prince Philip’s passing, a new tragic detail was in evidence. Namely, the throne Philip used to sit on had been removed. This is the first time that particular throne has been removed in 120 years, according to the Daily Mail. It was installed in 1901 for Queen Alexandra, who was the wife of King Edward VII.
So why didn’t Prince Charles take his place on that throne? Well, according to Daily Mail, Charles sat on a chair of state to the side due to social distancing rules.
Usually, the House of Lords is packed with both diplomats and politicians for this traditional opening. However, BBC reports that just 108 people attended. Attendees had to wear masks, as well as show negative COVID-19 test results beforehand.
Even though the Queen attended the opening of parliament, she probably won’t be returning to her usual routine.
BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunter previously said that even though the Queen has returned to work after Philip’s passing, she’s very unlikely to return to the hectic schedule she had before.
That included hosting receptions, meetings, garden parties and other events. Instead, she’s likely to attend meetings at Buckingham Palace just two days a week. For the moment, she lives at Windsor Castle, where she’s spent most of the last year in quarantine.
The Queen not happy over Charles ‘drama’
Charles will instead take more responsibility regarding the Queen’s schedule and duties. That said, he also has other things on his mind.
He and Harry’s relationship as father and son had a chance to be restored when they met following the funeral of Prince Philip. According to US Weekly, however, it seems things went in another direction entirely, and they’re now affecting the Queen.
According to the US news outlet, Charles is having a very hard time moving on from the fact that Meghan and Harry have “let down” the Royal Family. During the Oprah interview, Harry even revealed that Charles stopped taking his calls following their move to the US.
For her part, the Queen is now starting to get tired of Charles not accepting the fact that Harry’s moved on.
“With the way things are going, Charles may never forgive Harry, which hasn’t gone down well with Elizabeth,” an insider told US Weekly. “She feels that he’s putting his pride before the best interest of the monarchy. She has enough on her plate dealing with the loss of her husband. It’s drama she can do without.”
“Elizabeth is proud of William”
The insider told US Weekly that William wants to be the “bigger person” and find a solution to their feud.
“He believes that in order to repair damage and destruction from Harry’s interview, the best approach is to keep things civil with his brother rather than fanning the flames and fighting back with a tit-for-tat attitude,” US Weekly reports.
“Elizabeth is proud of William for taking the dignified approach, unlike Charles, who still hasn’t forgiven Harry for dragging his name through the mud.”
We are so glad to see the Queen back in public. No matter if you’re a Queen or not, coming back following such a huge loss must be so hard. But we are supporting her in our prayers.
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