The late Prince Philip is to be commemorated at Westminster Abbey in London on Tuesday. Queen Elizabeth has announced herself. A rejection was not excluded at first.
In April 2021, Queen Elizabeth sat alone at her husband’s funeral. Now a memorial service is to be held, which had to be waived at the time.
(dpa) Queen Elizabeth II sat all alone at the funeral service for her husband Prince Philip in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. Because of the pandemic, only 30 guests were allowed last April, keeping your distance was the order of the day.
Now, on Tuesday, a solemn service in Westminster Abbey in London is to be made up for, which had to be done without almost a year ago. But there is a new problem: The 95-year-old Queen hardly ever leaves Windsor Castle. Your health has deteriorated.
Her last public appearance was on February 5, 2022. Dates have been repeatedly canceled in recent months. She recently went through a corona infection. She is no longer good on foot, as she recently admitted. For a long time it was unclear whether the Queen would also stay away from the memorial service for Prince Philip. An hour earlier, their attendance was definitely confirmed on Twitter by Chris Ship, ITV’s Royal Editor.
NEW: The Queen will attend today’s Thanksgiving service for her late husband at @wabbey
Buckingham Palace says she is intending to travel there for the Duke of Edinburgh, which gets underway at 11:15am.
Her last public engagement was on 5 February— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) March 29, 2022
British royals and European nobility expected
In addition to the most important British royals, the assembled high nobility of Europe is expected to attend the service, including the royal couples from Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the Danish queen.
The Windsor family includes heir apparent Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate, as well as the Queen’s three other children: Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew.
It is a surprise that Prince Andrew is back in public so soon after the latest headlines about allegations of abuse. In mid-February, Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with American Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of sexually abusing her when she was 17. He was only able to avoid civil proceedings with a payment that was probably worth millions. A return to the inner circle of the Royals is considered almost impossible.
Queen’s grandson Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan will not be there. The couple retired from the royal family several years ago and now live in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
The relationship has been particularly strained after the couple’s sensational interview with talk show legend Oprah Winfrey on American television, in which they accused the royal family of racism. Meghan has African American roots through her mother. In addition, Harry is also in a clinch with the British Home Office, which no longer wants to grant him and his family police protection when they visit their old homeland.
Cancellation should be difficult for Queen
At the service on Tuesday, however, the whole of Prince Philip and his almost 100-year life should be the focus. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in particular will play a prominent role, the palace said in a statement. Founded by Philip, the award is an international youth program designed to give young people opportunities for self-realization.
Philip had attended more than 22,000 royal appointments and delivered 5,400 speeches since his marriage to Elizabeth in 1947 at Westminster Abbey and their coronation at the same church six years later. “He was my strength and support all these years,” the Queen once said of her husband. Participation in the memorial service should mean a lot to her.