Sorrow, solitude and dignity... the Queen mourns her beloved Prince

FORLORN and lost in grief, the Queen has never looked more alone.

The powerful symbolism of this heartbreaking image of Her Majesty, stoic but isolated in the empty quire of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, could not be more poignant, as she said her personal farewell to the man who was her ‘strength and stay’ through 73 years of marriage.

Social distancing rules added a cruel solitude to an already sorrowful day, with just 30 mourners permitted to witness the moving service.

While the circumstances of the funeral were extraordinary, so too was the life of Prince Philip. As the Queen reflected on her devoted consort, the nation also recalled a life defined by what the Dean of Windsor, conducting the service, called his ‘unwavering loyalty to our Queen, his service to the nation, his courage, fortitude and faith’.

The mourners all wore masks during the service and were seated in their households, in line with coronavirus regulations, with the Queen at the front of the quire, nearest the altar.

Wearing a diamond brooch that once belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary, Her Majesty sat alone until the funeral cortege followed her husband’s flag-draped coffin into the chapel, whereupon the Duke of York took his place two seats to her left.

Outside, a clear and crisp spring day had provided the backdrop to the sombre, foreshortened procession, away from well-wishers who had been urged to stay at home.

Inside, the Archbishop of Canterbury, praised the Duke’s ‘high sense of duty and integrity’ and the ‘courage and inspiration of his leadership’.

Later came the moment when Philip’s coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, taking its rightful place among centuries of kings and their consorts.