Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Queen Elizabeth II shrugged off recent health issues to attend a service of thanksgiving for her husband, Prince Philip, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday. The 95- year- old monarch, who recently recovered from covid-19, was deeply involved in planning the service, which included hymns and tributes from the charities Philip supported. About 1,800 family members and guests attended; only 30 people were allowed at last year’s funeral, conducted under strict lockdown rules that forced the queen to sit alone wearing a black mask as she mourned the loss of her husband of 73 years. Philip, duke of Edinburgh, died April 9 at age 99. The Rev. David Conner remembered Philip’s service to the queen, his dedication to environmental protection and his commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed through his Duke of Edinburgh Award. “Through his passionate commitment, he drew others to himself in admiration and respect and, in the case of those who lived and worked most closely to him, genuine love,” Conner said. There were also subtler honors, delivered through the royals’ clothing choices. Elizabeth; her daughter, Princess Anne; and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; were all dressed in dark green — echoing Philip’s livery color of Edinburgh Green. There were also prayers, offered in tribute to Philip’s faith, and the congregation joined in singing “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer,” with the queen singing along. Prince Charles sat beside his mother and Prince William just behind her. Also taking part were many of Philip’s friends and some 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. The service was brief — Philip was known for hating a fuss — with the queen leaving the church after less than 50 minutes. But it did give Britain a chance to offer a note of thanks to the man who at the queen’s coronation in 1953 swore to be her “liege man of life and limb.”
■ Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined refugees from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday for a performance of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. He joined young Afghan and Portuguese musicians on a small stage at the National Conservatory, where the refugees are studying. “The best defense against anything is culture,” Ma told the audience. “They risked their lives for something they believed in, and you, in Lisbon, opened your hearts and risked … all kinds of things in order to do what is human.” Portugal granted asylum to a 273-person group, including some 150 students, from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. Ma had a hand in helping them get out of the country.