In her handbag... his photo and his Savile Row hankie

THE QUEEN kept her husband poignantly close during the service by carrying special mementoes from their life together inside her handbag.

According to a Royal insider, the Queen was planning to include one of Philip’s trademark white handkerchiefs, made by his Savile Row tailors Kent & Haste.

The crisply folded squares, inserted into the breast pocket of a sharply cut suit, were an enduring feature of the Duke’s classic sartorial style.

In honour of their long marriage, she is also said to have carried a small photograph of the two of them together, thought to have been taken in Malta. The island was a deeply special place for both the Queen and Philip. As newlyweds they lived in Villa Guardamangia, on the outskirts of the capital Valletta, between 1949 and 1951, while the Prince was stationed there as a naval officer with HMS Magpie.

The Queen later described it as one of the best periods of her life as it was the only time she was able to live ‘normally’. The couple returned often, including to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2007.

As is her custom, the Queen’s handbag was by British brand Launer, which has held a Royal Warrant since 1968. She is understood to own around 200 of the bags, in different styles and colours to match her outfits.

They have long also been used to carry precious objects including, reportedly, a collection of good luck charms given to her by her children and grandchildren.

But perhaps none will be more significant, nor more heartfelt, than those she carried to bid her husband goodbye.