Queen Elizabeth II Sheds A Tear At Prince Phillip Memorial
The usually stoic Queen Elizabeth II has shed a tear as she farewelled her late husband Prince Phillip during his memorial service at Westminster Abbey.
The Queen was accompanied by Prince Andrew as she walked down towards the front of the large church.
Prince Phillip died in on April 9, 2021 aged 99, and was described at the service as a 'remarkable man' who was committed to 'down-to-earth' causes.
The 40-minute service was organised after to Covid-19 regulations caused his original funeral to have only 30 people in attendance.
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For his memorial service more than 1,800 people including representatives from many of his charities came out to honour the Duke of Edinburgh.
The 95-year-old Queen attended the service clutching Prince Andrew's arm with one hand and a cane in another, a symbol of the Queen's recent struggles with health and mobility.
It was the Duke of York's first public appearance since settling a civil sex assault case with Virginia Giuffre over accusations he forced her to have sex at a property belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17-years-old.
For a fleeting moment the head of the British Royal Family stood teary-eyed, farewelling the love of her life surrounded by family, royals, and those who cherished him.
Prince Phillip's long-time friend Dean of Windsor David Conner - who also conducted the Prince's funeral - told those in attendance that Phillip's life 'bore the marks of sacrifice and service', according to the BBC.
"Certainly, he could show great sympathy and kindness. There is no doubt that he had a delightfully engaging, and often self-deprecating, sense of humour," Conner said.
"It is quite clear that his mind held together both speculation and common sense. Moreover, nobody would ever doubt his loyalty and deep devotion to our Queen and to their family."
Conner told the congregation the Duke was 'devoted his astonishing intellectual and physical energy, his enormous capacity for sheer hard work, to a host of down-to-earth enterprises'.
"These included the equipping of young people to face tomorrow's challenges, the encouragement of respect and care for the natural order, and his pioneering work in facilitating conversation between representatives of the different world faiths," he said.
Most notable of these achievements was the Duke of Edinburgh award, which Prince Phillip founded in 1956.
Duke of Edinburgh gold award winner Doyin Sonibare gave a speech during the service describing the opportunities the award had opened up to her.
Although the Queen was surrounded by her family, one notable absentee was Prince Harry.
Those in attendance included UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer and royals including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
Topics: Prince Harry, The Queen, News
Rachel Lang