Queen Elizabeth II made her first big public appearance outside palace walls in five months for a memorial service for her husband of 73 years, the late Prince Philip.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II travels with her son Prince Andrew as they leave the thanksgiving service for the the late Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022,in London. The 95-year-old queen arrived at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday morning through a side entrance, at the Poet’s Corner, holding the arm of her disgraced second son, Prince Andrew, who escorted her from Windsor Castle to London.
The longest-serving monarch in British history walked with the aid of a cane. She was slightly stooped but sure enough on her feet to go unassisted from the aisle to her chair, which served as a kind of throne. She sat beside her eldest son, Prince Charles, the man who will be king, and she spent a moment digging through one of her famous handbags for her spectacles to read the Order of Service and words to the first hymn.
And then she began to sing.
She was joined by thousands gathered in the abbey where she wed Philip — and where she celebrated her silver, golden, diamond and now her platinum jubilee, which marks 70 years on the throne.
There were children, including royal grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and trumpets playing the fanfare. It was all so very different from Philip’s funeral a year ago, when the pandemic required the queen to sit alone, masked, on a lonely pew at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
There was speculation that her health or mobility issues might prevent the monarch, who turns 96 next month, from attending the service at Westminster Abbey. Even on Tuesday morning, just hours before the service kicked off, British media outlets were reporting that the queen “currently intends” to be at the service.
This was Andrew’s first public appearance since settling a sexual abuse lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who said she was a teenager when trafficked to the prince by financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Philip’s funeral last year was scaled down because of covid-19 restrictions. But around 1,800 people gathered Tuesday in Westminster Abbey for the memorial service to pay tribute to Philip. Among them were Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla; Prince William and his wife, Catherine; other European royals; and more than 500 representatives from Prince Philip’s patronages and charities.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also in attendance. Johnson recently apologized to the queen for lockdown-breaking parties held at his Downing Street offices and residence in April 2021 — on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral.
There were two notable “no shows.”
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, did not attend the memorial for his grandfather, who was his mentor and protector.
Harry and Meghan, having given up their duties as “senior working royals” in service of the queen, are living in their seaside villa in Montecito in Southern California with their two young children.
Harry is pursuing a legal challenge against the British government after being informed he would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting Britain.
The prince offered to pay for the security himself, but the Home Office declined. In court, Harry’s lawyers said the prince does not feel safe when he is in Britain, given the security arrangements applied to him. His mother died in a high-speed accident in a Paris tunnel when the car she was in crashed while being chased by paparazzi on motorbikes.
Buckingham Palace said the service was designed to give thanks for Philip’s “dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth” and recognize his legacy in “creating opportunities for young people, promoting environmental stewardship and conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces.”
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the youth program founded by Philip, was also scheduled to feature prominently in the service. The award, which operates in more than 140 countries, aims to help young people build confidence and resilience through volunteering and outdoor activities.
The palace said that the queen has been “actively” involved in the plans, “with many elements reflecting Her Majesty’s wishes.” Palace officials also said that the service would incorporate elements that were planned for his funeral but were scrapped because of covid-19 restrictions. At the time of the funeral last year, no congregational singing was allowed, and only 30 guests could be invited.
The queen, memorably, sat alone during the funeral in accordance with the guidelines.
The queen has had a spell of bad health since she was hospitalized overnight in October for what Buckingham Palace said were “preliminary investigations.” She also recently recovered from a bout of covid-19.
Over the last several months, she has missed some high-profile events, including the multifaith Commonwealth Day service earlier this month, which she pulled out of due to mobility issues. At an in-person meeting last month with the incoming and outgoing defense service secretaries, the monarch acknowledged her frailty. Asked how she was, the queen pointed at her leg and quipped, “Well, as you can see, I can’t move.”
She has continued to meet with ambassadors and dignitaries over the last several months, and has appeared in good form, but those events have taken place by video or inside palace walls.
Tuesday’s service comes after a challenging few days for the royals following a rocky tour of the Caribbean by Prince William and his wife Catherine
To be sure, the couple were greeted enthusiastically at their various stops, but there were also protests, unfortunate photo ops and calls for independence and slavery reparations. Prince William did something that royals rarely do: He effectively acknowledged that the tour hadn’t gone according to plan. In a Twitter thread, he said that “foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect.”
