Guardian angel who supported the Queen Even in anguish, Her Majesty was magnificent, the epitome of dignity
THE Queen turned to her loyal lady-in-waiting, Lady Susan Hussey, for support on the day of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
Lady Susan, who was married to the late BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey, is close to the Queen, having served her for decades.
Such is her bond with the royal family that Lady Susan, 81, is one of the Duke of Cambridge’s godparents, and also attended his confirmation in 1997.
During the past year she joined the Queen and Philip in HMS Bubble as one of some 20 staff who cared for the royal couple in lockdown at Windsor Castle.
On Saturday, she accompanied the Queen in the State Bentley as she left the castle to join the rear of the procession carrying Philip’s coffin to St George’s Chapel.
Lady Susan was there as a working household member and not one of the 30 guests.
Remaining nearby in case the Queen should need her, Lady Susan was not seated with thewindsors in the
Quire, nor in the Nave, but elsewhere in the chapel.
Ladies-in-waiting are the unsung members of the Queen’s household and are personally chosen by the
monarch.they have a variety of duties including attending to private and personal matters for the Queen and handling her correspondence.
They also assist the Queen on official engagements, from handing her money to being passed the bouquets of flowers presented to her.
In 2001, Lady Susan passed the Queen a pound coin so she could buythe Big Issue from a magazine seller while on an official day trip to Brighton.
She has also been present at unique moments in history – such as on the Spirit of Chartwell barge with the Queen and other members
of the royal family for the Diamond Jubilee river pageant on thethames in 2012.
Ladies-in-waiting often serve the Queen for more than 50 years and act as both friends and loyal assistants, and their discretion and support will be invaluable as the Queen mourns.
The late Marmaduke
Hussey, who died in 2006, was BBC chairman when Diana, Princess ofwales gave her 1995 Panorama interview but, in accordance with tradition, he was not given a preview.
Lady Susan is also a sister of the formertory Cabinet minister William Waldegrave.
DURING her long, record-breaking reign, the Queen has had to carry out many painful duties.
But none can have been more wrenching than yesterday’s funeral for her beloved husband.
Even the losses of her father in 1952, her mother in 2002 and her sister Princess Margaret in the same year will have been eclipsed by her profound sorrow at Prince Philip’s death.
For he was not just her first and only love, but also, through the 73 years of their remarkable marriage, her guide, confidant, adviser and companion.
It was his steadfast, wise support that made it possible for her, a naturally shy, reserved woman, to shoulder the huge burden of the monarchy.
As she herself famously put it on their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1997, “He has been quite simply my strength and stay all these years.”
Now, at the age of almost 95, she has to face the future on her own.
It will be a daunting challenge, even for a public figure renowned for her resilience.
So many poignant moments in yesterday’s austere but beautiful event brought home the solitary nature of her widowhood, such as her heart-breaking pause, as cannons fired and bells tolled, at the Land Rover hearse to say a final farewell before the ceremony began formally.
Equally moving was her place in the state Bentley at the rear of the procession to St George’s Chapel, tears in her eyes and with only a lady-inwaiting at her side.
Yet no image better captured her loneliness than the sight of her, all in black and head deeply bowed, sitting on her own in the quire of St George’s during the service.
Because of Covid regulations, there was no hand to comfort her, no family member with her.
It was an iconic picture that will resonate through history, speaking more powerfully of her grief than any torrent of words.
The Queen’s heartache will have been all the greater because the intensity of her bereavement had to be conducted in the glare of the public spotlight, with the eyes of the world watching her.
But the Archbishop of Canterbury had predicted that she would show “extraordinary courage” and he was right.
Even in her anguish, she was magnificent on the day, the epitome of dignity.
Throughout the proceedings, she displayed the heroic stoicism that has always been her hallmark.
In a modern age that too often celebrates self-indulgent emoting, she was the embodiment of the traditional, British stiff upper lip.
But, in addition to her own strength of personality, there were other factors that will have sustained her. One was the huge outpouring of public sadness since Prince Philip’s death was announced, reflecting the tremendous affection in which he was held.
Paradoxically, he was so popular because he never courted popularity but remained true to himself.
Another source of comfort is how her extensive family has rallied round her, despite recent differences and controversies.
The appealing picture that she released last week of herself and the Duke with their great grandchildren is an indicator of how much her family will mean to her in the difficult days ahead.
Moreover, after the service, her grandsons Harry and William could be seen chatting together, an indicator that the funeral could act as a force for reconciliation.
Just as crucial is the power of her Christian faith, something she shared with the Duke of Edinburgh, as demonstrated by the wonderfully elegant service that he played a central role in devising.
In its evocative language, rich music and potent symbolism, the whole funeral was an inspirational advertisement for the Anglican church, revealing that the choral and liturgical traditions are preferable to fashionable woke politics.
Like her late husband, the Queen truly believes in the central tenets of Christianity, so when the archbishop read the passage from chapter 11 of St John’s gospel, the consoling words about the resurrection and “eternal life” will have had a real resonance for her.
Further solace will have been found in the superb manner in which the Armed Forces conducted themselves throughout the day.
Just like the Church, the military is now derided by social justice warriors for its elitism and outmoded customs.
Yet it was this commitment to excellence from the 700 personnel from the three services that ensured the ceremony was a triumph of solemnity and precision.
Royal events are something this country does spectacularly well and yesterday was no exception.
Despite all the pressures on the participants, there was not a single hitch.
Split-second timing ensured the schedule was rigorously kept. The bands played to perfection.the procession marched in sombre unison. The bearers’ parties carried the coffin without the slightest sign of buckling, even on the awkward journey up the steps of the chapel.
The Scottish piper performed his lament with a haunting exactitude, just as the buglers from the Royal Marines and the Household Cavalry did not hit a wrong note in their renditions of the Last Post and the Naval war cry Action Stations.
All this impressive discipline mirrored the Duke of Edinburgh’s own character.
A man of crisp efficiency and conspicuous bravery, he was a hero during the war, gaining a mention in dispatches for his role in the Mediterranean theatre.
If his post-war naval career had not been cut short by wife’s ascent to the throne in 1952, he might well have reached the top of the Admiralty.
But he never lost his enthusiasm for military life, or its values, just as his wife cherished her family’s abiding connection to the Armed Forces, not least because she had been in uniform during the war as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
Yesterday those Armed Forces, in their determination to honour her husband in a manner that befitted his record, did her proud.
Prince Philip was a man utterly without vanity.
That quality shone through yesterday’s obsequies, highlighted by his refusal to allow any cleric to give a eulogy.
His funeral was so impressive because it was not about his own ego, but about what the Crown represents: loyal service, national pride and the long continuity of our institutions.
The Queen always had that dedication and same selfless modesty.
For more than seven decades, her life has been one of service to the nation.
The public recognises the colossal debt we owe her, particularly now that she has to plough her furrow alone.
That explains why so many tears of sympathy and admiration will have been shed in households across the country yesterday.
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