The queen has sat alone inside St. George’s Chapel today, while Covid’s regulations forced her to separate from her family and wear a mask.
The 94-year-old monarch carved a figure of silent dignity as she watched as her beloved husband, 73, was assassinated.
Following strict rules of social distancing during the pandemic, the queen set an example even in grief, sitting apart from family members arranged around the church. Other family members forming family bubbles sat together.
The monarch had arrived in service at the Royal Bentley with his 81-year-old Lady Susan Hussey, widow of former BBC President Marmaduke Hussey.
Such is his bond with the royal family that Lady Susan is one of the godfathers of the Duke of Cambridge, and he also attended her confirmation in 1997.
Over the past year he joined the Queen and Philip on HMS Bubble as one of about 20 employees who cared for the royal couple locked in Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth had to sit alone inside St. George’s Chapel for her husband’s funeral service due to coronavirus restrictions
Her Majesty is alone, with her head bowed, in the chapel while her husband’s coffin was taken to the church to be left to rest.
He then looked at the church doors as the coffin was carried by the soldiers on their last journey
The 94-year-old monarch carved a figure of silent dignity as she watched as her beloved husband, 73, was assassinated.
Her Majesty, with tears in her eyes, looks after having a moment of quiet reflection in her husband’s coffin
The Queen wipes a tear from her eyes as she arrives behind her husband’s coffin as Prince Philip’s funeral begins this afternoon
The monarch had arrived in service at the Royal Bentley with his Lady Lady Susan Hussey, 81, widow of former BBC President Marmaduke Hussey
The masked queen, wearing a mask and dressed in black, is led to her seat in the chapel where she was sitting alone.
Staying close in case the queen needed her, Lady Susan was not sitting with the Windsors in the Quire, or in the Ship, but in other places in the chapel.
Today he accompanied the queen to the state of Bentley as she left the castle to join the rear of the procession carrying Philip’s coffin to St George’s Chapel.
Even as she entered the chapel, Lady Susan was there as a member of the working household and not as one of the 30 guests.
Staying close in case the queen needed her, Lady Susan was not sitting with the Windsors in the Quire, or in the Ship, but anywhere else in the chapel.
Waiting ladies are members of the queen’s house who are not sung and are personally elected by the monarch.
They have a variety of duties, including attending to the queen’s private and personal affairs and managing her correspondence.
They also help the queen in official engagements, from handing over her money to passing on the bouquets of flowers presented to her.
In 2001, Lady Susan passed the pound to the Queen so she could buy The Big Issue from a magazine seller while on an official trip to Brighton.
He has also been present at unique moments in history, such as the Spirit of Chartwell barge with the Queen and other members of the royal family for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee River Thames Contest.
This is the funeral procession for tomorrow’s funeral, where William and Harry will not stay by the queen’s side following their car.
Lady Hussey is the fifth and youngest daughter of Geoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave, and was married to the late BBC President Marmaduke Hussey.
The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, who have a troubled relationship, did not walk shoulder to shoulder with their cousin Peter Phillips between them.
The procession of the royal family was led by Prince Charles and Princess Anna, who seemed excited after the ark
Prince Philip’s coffin came out of Windsor Castle when the royal family joined the queen in mourning her husband at her funeral
The Duke of Edinburgh’s casket was covered with his personal standard and he carried his sword, naval cap and wreath while masked porters lowered him into his extraordinary Land Rover hearse.
Waiting ladies often serve the queen for over 50 years and act as loyal friends and helpers, and her discretion and support will be invaluable as the queen weeps.
The late Marmaduke Hussey, who died in 2006, was president of the BBC when Diana, Princess of Wales, granted him an interview with Panorama in 1995, but, according to tradition, he was not given a preview.
“Duke” Hussey was a leading executive in the newspaper industry for decades, occupying the prestigious BBC position when he retired from News International.
Lady Susan is also the sister of former Conservative cabinet minister William Waldegrave.
The queen’s waiting ladies, personally chosen by the monarch, have a variety of roles, including attending to the queen’s private and personal affairs and managing her correspondence.
They have been part of HMS Bubble, the name given to the small selection of about 20 employees who attend the Queen of Windsor during the closure.
Some of the ladies have been with the Queen for over 50 years and act as loyal friends and helpers, and her discretion and support will be invaluable.
The members of the army leave before the funeral service at the house of Prince Philip’s Windsor
The detachments of service personnel of the military units that the Duke had a special relationship gathered in the green of the castle quadrangle – while at its limit are troops of the domestic cavalry and the standing guards
The Foot Guards Band is seen marching before the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle