Harry, Meghan and sensational claims of talks with Queen
Marking her 95th birthday, Queen thanks public for their support as she speaks about the loss of Philip
THE Queen spoke yesterday of her ‘great sadness’ at losing her husband of 73 years as she thanked the public for their ‘support and kindness’.
In a special message issued on her 95th birthday, the monarch said she and her family had been ‘deeply touched’ to hear about the ‘extraordinary impact’ the Duke of Edinburgh had on so many people.
She marked a ‘low-key’ day at Windsor yesterday with a dog walk and visits from family, sources said. They added that the Queen had been determined not to make a major event of her 95th as she preferred to mark ‘birthdays with a zero in them’ and, until now, the focus had been on what would have been Prince Philip’s 100th birthday in June.
It came as Mike Tindall, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara and was with her at the funeral last week, said the monarch ‘led by example’ at the service. The former England rugby captain said: ‘As eerie as it was with no crowds and the social distancing... it was the perfect day for how [Philip] would have liked it. No fuss, get on with it.’
Mr Tindall added on his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby: ‘My love for the Queen was even better, she was sat there completely on her own. She separated herself in terms of: “This is what the world is right now and I’m going to lead by example.” She’s amazing.’
The Queen gave special permission for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to break official royal mourning to carry out a public engagement in honour of her late
‘Led by example at funeral’
husband yesterday. William and Kate visited 282 (East Ham) Squadron Air Training Corps in east London.
The couple smiled proudly as a group of air cadets raised their caps and gave three cheers in memory of the duke.
Philip served as Air Commodore-inChief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years before passing the military patronage to the duchess in 2015. Kate is known as Honorary Air Commandant because of her civilian background.
Inside the headquarters, the couple were shown a Grob Tutor flight simulator and invited to have a go.
William, knowing it was his wife’s affiliation, joked: ‘I’ll hold the handbag!’ The duchess, wearing a black military-style coat, struggled to fit her tall frame inside – particularly in her vertiginous heels – but did so elegantly and was given a headset by Corporal Stephanie Andre, 16.
As his wife was put through her paces by Flight Sergeant Yasmin Fokerebacus, 29, William, who served in the Royal Air Force himself, told officers he had learned on a similar plane and still worked hard to keep up his flying hours.
Established in 1941, the Air Cadets is a UK-wide force with more than 40,000 members aged between 12 and 20 years old. Sponsored by the RAF, it provides hands- on experience to challenge and develop skills amongst young people to ‘encourage the spirit of adventure’.
The 282 (East Ham) Squadron supports more than 60 cadets to gain skills and qualifications across disciplines such as aviation, cyber and radio communications and space. The couple wore black masks and spoke to cadets who are preparing for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Royal aides revealed that the first time the duchess met Philip was when she received her own gold award medal from him, presumably at Buckingham Palace.
Although he served in the Royal Navy, Philip was also a talented pilot and gained his Royal Air Force wings in 1953.
Group Captain Al Lewis said of the visit: ‘It was a really unique experience... It was wonderful for them, too, to see the real legacy that the Duke of Edinburgh left.’