Queen Elizabeth at the funeral of Prince Philip, her late husband.Photo: Jonathan Brady - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Saturday may be a day of celebration asQueen Elizabethcommemorates her"official" birthdayat the annualTrooping the Colourparade, but Thursday was asolemn, solitary moment of remembranceas the monarch marked what would have been her husbandPrince Philip’s 100th birthday.
Since the Duke of Edinburghdiedat age 99 on April 9, the Queen has been leaning on the primary pillars of her life — family, faith and service to her kingdom — to fortify her as she keeps calm and carries on, just as she has for 70 remarkable years.
“I always felt that she was never knocked off course,” a royal insider says in thesummer issue of PEOPLERoyals, which drops June 11. “It’s her way to remain as steady as possible.”
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She has drawn strength, joy and solace from virtual church services,video calls with familyand contemplative walks with her beloved dogs across the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she decamped at the onset of the global COVID pandemic.
And since she broke her official mourning period on April 22, she has kept a regular schedule of engagements with foreign and domestic dignitaries — all virtual for the time being.
A loyal core team of both family and staff remains in place to support her both near and far as she carries on the work of being Queen. “She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on,” says someone in her circle. “She loves to work. She is never idle.”
Adds royal historian Robert Lacey, “She is making a deliberate point that she is still on top of her game.”
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth.Countess of Wessex
And though Philip was her prime counsel, whom she called her “strength and stay,” royal biographer Penny Junor notes that the Queen “is used to working on her own and him not being there every morning to sit down and discuss the with,” especially since her husband of more than 70 years retired from royal duty in 2017.
As COVID restrictions ease and preparations for her spectacularPlatinum Jubileestart ramping up, the monarch will transition away from video calls and return to business as usual with support fromPrinces CharlesandWilliam, as well as their spouses,Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, andPrincess Kate.
source: people.com
