It’s an image taking the world’s breath away.
On April 17, Prince Philip, the longest-serving British royal accompaniment, was put to rest following a funeral service at St. George’s Chapel. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the event was little—there were just 30 members of the royal household in participation—however simply as poignant. And there was no image more a sign of the household’s loss throughout these historical times than that of Queen Elizabeth II sitting alone in a seat as she grieved Philip, her spouse of almost 74 years.
Because of the pandemic, royal participants were seated at a safe range from each other and were significantly donning face masks while within. The picture of the mourning queen remained in sharp contrast to simply 3 years previously, when she was seated together with her cherished spouse because exact same seat for the wedding event of their grand son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
As the household stated their last bye-byes to the Duke of Edinburgh, the sovereign quote goodbye to her life time partner with a note penned on her fixed and put atop his coffin. It read, in part, “I love you.”
