By Reuters via
NBC News
Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance in five months on Tuesday, amid a memorial service in honor of her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
The tribute was attended by the royal family and other dignitaries.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who stood by his wife for more than seven decades, passed away at his home at Windsor Castle in April 2021, two months shy of his 100th birthday.
During his funeral only 30 people were able to attend, due to strict coronavirus restrictions, which meant the queen sat alone as her husband's body was lowered into the Royal Vault of St George's Chapel at the castle.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew arrive at the service of thanksgiving for the late Prince Philip in London.REUTERS
The Thanksgiving service — as Tuesday's tribute is called — at Westminster Abbey was a much larger event, and Buckingham Palace said the 95-year-old queen had been actively involved in its planning.
The monarch has been forced to scale back her duties since spending a night in hospital last October for an unspecified illness and was advised to rest.
There have been concerns about her health
after she canceled a number of planned engagements ever since.
In addition, in February he tested positive for the coronavirus and was reported to have "mild cold symptoms."
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The occasion also marked the first public appearance of his second son, Prince Andrew, since making an undisclosed payment to settle a lawsuit in the United States over allegations of sexual assault of a teenage girl decades ago, claims he denied. .
Joining him were other royals, foreign kings and queens, friends of the late Duke, politicians including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, military personnel and more than 500 representatives of charities and others he championed.
"A Life Lived Fully"
"A man of rare ability and distinction, justly honored and celebrated, always directed our attention away from himself," said David Hoyle, Canon of Westminster.
Philip, who married Queen Elizabeth in 1947 at Westminster Abbey, where she was also crowned six years later, helped his wife adapt the monarchy to the changing times of the post-World War II era, when the Loss of empire and changes in social values challenged the world's most prominent royal family.
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On their golden wedding anniversary, she described Philip, known for his unapologetic attitude and propensity for occasional mistakes, as "strength and staying power."
Forced to carve out a role for himself as there was no clear precedent, he focused on helping young people through his Duke of Edinburgh Awards program and promoting environmental issues.
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It was
"a long life lived fully
," Hoyle added.
The life service for the former royal modernizer comes at a time when his grandson and future king, Prince William, 38, is also trying to take the monarchy into the future.
On Monday, three tabloid newspapers ran front-page stories quoting an anonymous source as saying that William and his wife Kate wanted to "tear the rule book" and do things differently following criticism of their recent tour. of a week in the Caribbean that seemed "tasteless" and a throwback to colonial times.
"It's not a criticism of how it was done in the past. But times are changing," the source said.