On Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth, recently widowed and still officially in mourning, will turn 95 years old.
Little fanfare is expected. Since her husband, Prince Philip, died on April 9, the queen has maintained a period of silence. Britain has had no news of her monarch serving for longer, but has only watched her, lately sitting in disguise and alone, as her husband’s coffin descended on the royal vault of St George’s Chapel from Windsor.
However, during this period he has continued to do what he has done for almost seven decades as a monarch: work.
Four days after Prince Philip’s death, the queen attended a retirement ceremony for a royal courtier who had been instrumental in planning her husband’s funeral. He later received a phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The monarch, unlike Queen Victoria, who disappeared from public view for several years after the death of her consort in 1861, will continue her long history of public service, according to palace officials.