Queen Elizabeth II makes her first public appearance in months 2:20
(CNN) --
Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance in five months Tuesday as she joined the royal family and other dignitaries at a memorial service in honor of her husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.
Felipe, Duke of Edinburgh, was at the side of his wife for more than seven decades.
He passed away at his Windsor Castle home in April, two months shy of his 100th birthday.
Only 30 mourners were able to attend her funeral due to strict coronavirus health rules, which meant the queen sat poignantly alone as her husband of 73 years was lowered into the royal vault of the castle's St George's Chapel. .
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte arrive at the service.
Tuesday's service of thanksgiving at London's Westminster Abbey was a much bigger event, with the queen joined by her heir Prince Charles, her grandson William and his wife Kate, and other members of the royal family. royal family, including their children.
They were joined in the congregation by foreign kings and queens, friends of the late Duke, politicians including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, military figures and more than 500 representatives of charities and other organizations he championed.
Prince Charles attended the service with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and their children.
Buckingham Palace said the 95-year-old queen was actively involved in its planning.
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The monarch herself has been forced to reduce her duties since spending a night in hospital last October with an unspecified illness and was advised to rest, and there have been concerns about her health after she canceled a series of planned engagements since then.
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Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by her son Prince Andrew.
The occasion also marked the first public outing for her second son, Prince Andrew, since making an undisclosed payment to settle a lawsuit in the United States over allegations he sexually assaulted a teenage girl decades ago, claims he denied.
The queen came through a side entrance to the Abbey in her first public appearance since falling ill, using a cane and alongside Andrew.
Family tensions surrounding Prince Philip's funeral
Queen Elizabeth during the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip, on April 17, 2021.
Prince Harry, who has moved to the United States with his wife Meghan, did not attend the service after a disagreement with the government over security protections.
Tribute to Prince Philip
"A man of rare ability and distinction, justly honored and celebrated, always turned our attention away from himself," David Hoyle, the dean of Westminster, said of Prince Philip.
Philip, who married Elizabeth in 1947 at the Abbey where she too was 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 the empire and the Decline of deference challenged the world's most prominent royal family.
The service was Queen Elizabeth's first public appearance since falling ill.
On her golden anniversary, Queen Elizabeth described Prince Philip, who was known for his no-nonsense attitude and propensity for occasional mistakes, as her "strength and support".
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 scheme and promoting the solution of environmental problems.
It was "a long life lived fully," Hoyle said.
The former royal modernizer's service for life comes as his grandson and future king, Prince William, 38, also looks to lead the monarchy into the future.
On Monday, three tabloid newspapers carried front-page stories, all quoting an unnamed source as saying that William and his wife Kate wanted to "tear up the rule book" and do things differently after criticism that they seemed " deaf" during parts of their recent week-long Caribbean tour and who went back to colonial times.
"It is not a criticism of how it was done in the past. But times are changing," said the quoted source.
Queen Isabel
