Farewell my rock

Of all the myriad challenges Her Majesty faced throughout her long life, this one was harder than all the rest put together,

On April 9, 2021, the Queen’s heart was broken when her dear husband Philip passed away just shy of his 100th birthday, and Elizabeth lost her first and only love. He was her rock, her anchor, her counsel, and her constant companion who served at her side for so many decades. Philip had planned his own funeral meticulously, even down to the converted Land Rover hearse and his horse and carriage standing sentry, seat empty bar his hat and gloves.

The pandemic put paid to crowds, but the world wept alongside the Queen, who sat all alone in a socially distanced pew at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The sight of her small figure, clad in black, as she said her final goodbye to the man who went before her into the next life reduced countless millions of viewers worldwide to tears.

She was joined by the next generation of the royal family – the family she and Philip had created and shaped, with all their triumphs and troubles, including disgraced Andrew and the US-based Harry, who flew back specially for the funeral.

Unlike after Diana’s death, nobody was going to make the Queen speak publicly; her grief was too personal. But, true to form, she got back to business, and soon began to make mention of him, including her rousing speech at the COP26 climate summit in November 2021, which she dedicated to him. “The impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,” she said. “It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role that my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.”

The leading role that my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on

QUEEN ELIZABETH, PAYING TRIBUTE TO HER LATE HUSBAND

The Queen stands alone in St George’s Chapel, as Covid rules required social distancing for Philip’s deeply moving funeral service in April 2021.

face as he The grief is writ large on Charles’ coffin. walks solemnly behind his father’s

The bearer party carries Prince Philip’s coffin, with his naval cap and sword.

Feuding brothers William and Harry kept their distance during their grandfather’s funeral, for which Harry flew home alone.

leader of Wales, has become the fashion Catherine, like the previous Princess strikingly glamorous at Philip’s funeral. of the royal family. Here she is looking

Philip’s coffin is taken from Windsor Castle down the hill to St George’s the back of a specially customised Chapel on Land Rover which the Duke designed himself.

Charles and the other senior royals follow Prince Philip’s coffin at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021. Pictures: Getty, AFP