United in grief, Britain stands beside its Queen

AT 3pm today the nation and millions of people around the Commonwealth and the rest of the world will pause to remember the life of Prince Philip.

For those watching the service on their television sets or those whose thoughts will be with the Queen and the Royal Family it will be a time to recall a life of extraordinary service, peppered with good humour and a strong independent spirit.

In typical style the Duke of Edinburgh knew what he wanted as he was laid to rest right down to the sermon not exceeding eight minutes – and his favourite psalm.

Perhaps in recognition of her late husband’s desire for a minimum of fuss, the Queen decided against doing her eve of funeral address to the nation as she did for Princess Diana and the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

But even without that, the Prince’s parting marks an enormous moment in the life of the Queen, beside whom he stood for more than seven decades.

For almost 70 years since she acceded to the throne, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have been at the centre of British life. They have been an enduring partnership of stability and service.

So the funeral today will be a reminder of the enormous hole that has been left with the Duke’s passing.We only need to look at the wonderful picture released by Buckingham Palace yesterday taken by Prince Edward’s wife, Sophie the Countess of Wessex, of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh relaxing in the countryside.

It is an image of a couple completely at ease in one another’s company.

So as we see the Queen sitting alone at the funeral today, distanced because of Covid, we will see someone who is not only our glorious monarch but also a widow who has lost her “strength and stay” of a lifetime.

It is worth reflecting on the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury who will be at the service today. He rightly notes that the Queen “is saying farewell to someone to whom she was married for 73 years. I think that must be a very, very profound thing in anybody’s life and I hope the whole nation, if they believe in that, they pray for her, and if they don’t, they sympathise in their hearts, offer their condolences to her and they hope for her to find strength in what must be an anguished moment”.

In that sense it is a day when we as a nation, as the British people, need to be there for our Queen, to mentally stand beside her and give her our collective support as she has stood by this country with her late husband for so many years.

At the Daily Express we today join people around the world in a message to the Queen: “God bless you Ma’am and may the Duke of Edinburgh rest in peace.”