Queen Elizabeth, Philip’s wife of over 70 years, was the hardest hit by the loss of Prince Philip. As much as the two were long time companions who loved one another and raised four children, they had a unique relationship that seemed to work out for them. The pair would live apart throughout their marriage and engage in interests that weren’t shared by the other, according to Town & Country. Philip gave marriage advice to a member of the staff of Queen Elizabeth. Philip was told by Tina Brown that he asked if he wanted some marriage advice. Make sure you don’t have the same interests while you’re apart.
It was clear to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s family and friends that they loved one another very much. It wasn’t surprising that the queen began to have medical problems after her husband’s passing. After Prince Philip died, here is a look at what happened to Queen Elizabeth.
The age of Prince Philip was 99. Buckingham Palace made the announcement of his passing. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband,” the institution said in a statement.
At the time of Philip’s passing, the public was trapped in the grips of the COVID-19 Pandemic, so they were asked to reconsider leaving flowers in memory. The public was asked to make donations.
Many wondered if the loss of her husband would affect Queen Elizabeth. While Philip’s passing was a moment of sadness for the nation, it was particularly for the queen, who lost her husband of 73 years, a bigger span of years than most of us can imagine.
When Philip was 18 years old, Queen Elizabeth was 13 years old. Though the queen’s family didn’t approve of the pair’s interaction, the two began exchanging letters. Philip spent a lot of time convincing King George VI and the Queen Mother that he was serious about having a relationship with their daughter. Philip once wrote a letter to Elizabeth’s mother in which he said, “The only thing in this world that is real to me, and my ambition, is to weld the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to survive the shocks directed at us,
Elizabeth and Philip had two honeymoons together after they married. Their first child was King Charles, followed by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. Philip was at Elizabeth’s side during her ascension. Over the years, the two were often together, whether they were enduring controversy or celebration.
It is clear that Prince Philip was the most important person to Queen Elizabeth. Piers Morgan said on Sky News Australia’s First Edition that Philip was a “gigantic” source of support for Elizabeth. He said they were married for over 70 years. He abandoned his naval career to be by her side, and she never really recovered from that.
Lord Charteris, who was a private secretary to Queen Elizabeth, once commented on their marriage. Prince Philip is the only man in the world who treats the queen like a human being. Charteris believed that this treatment was part of Philip’s appeal to the queen, and that no other man would have been able to do that.
Family members had to attend the funeral in an unusual way because of the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place in the United Kingdom. One rule that was applied to the funeral itself was that members of the same household could be seated together, but they had to sit at least two meters apart. Unfortunately, this meant that Queen Elizabeth was alone during the entire funeral proceedings.
Before Philip’s death, he and the queen were in a home bubble that included themselves and members of their household staff. Queen Elizabeth wasn’t allowed to join other family members in time for the funeral. She wasn’t the only royal who was required to sit alone as Prince Harry attended the service without his wife. Photographs of the queen mourning on her own were a stark glimpse of the public in the coming months.
After Prince Philip died, Queen Elizabeth’s family members were aware of the pain that she felt. While speaking to reporters outside the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Prince Andrew explained that his mother described her experience as having “a huge void” after her husband died, and that she described his passing as a miracle.
Following the death of her husband, Queen Elizabeth was acutely aware of the need for royal life to continue. She was back to work just four days later when she hosted Lord Chamberlain at his retirement ceremony.
Prince Andrew was accused of sexually abusing and raping Virginia Giuffre when she was only 17 years old. Giuffre released a statement explaining her decision to file a lawsuit. I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and rich are responsible for their actions.
Queen Elizabeth had to bear the brunt of the scandal without her husband by her side. When Andrew and Giuffre reached a settlement in February of 2022, it was rumored that Elizabeth would pay at least $13.8 million. The outlet reported at the time that if Queen Elizabeth paid part of the settlement, she did so out of the private funds of the monarchy.
Buckingham Palace began to hint at Queen Elizabeth’s health concerns towards the end of the decade. The institution said that the queen needed the use of a cane from time to time because of her mobility issues. The official royal trip to Northern Ireland was canceled on doctor’s orders.
The queen turned down Oldie Magazine’s “Oldie of the Year” award because she was still happy and energetic despite her health troubles. According to the publication, her assistant private secretary told them, “Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel.” The queen doesn’t believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you find a more worthy recipient.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the queen was hospitalized on Wednesday for some preliminary investigations and that she was in good spirits.
Concerns about Queen Elizabeth’s health were raised by the end of the year. Buckingham Palace said that Queen Elizabeth had backed out of her plans to attend the UN climate conference. The official statement noted that “Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via recorded video message”.
A few weeks later, it was reported that Queen Elizabeth would not be able to attend the service due to a back injury. Remembrance Sunday is an important holiday for the royal family and this was a major deal at the time. The public was told in the hours before the event that the queen would be missing.
When Queen Elizabeth felt better, she came down with COVID-19. There was a milder form of the virus that Elizabeth had to contend with. Buckingham Palace stated that she was able to continue with most of her work even though she was sick.
All important meetings were held virtually, which allowed Queen Elizabeth to be present without the risk of infecting others. There was an isolation period of five days after a positive COVID diagnosis, and the Palace reported that Queen Elizabeth had already received three doses of the vaccine. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the queen contracted COVID-19 at the same time as King Charles and Queen consort Camilla.
Several leaders supported the queen’s health. The commitment Her Majesty the Queen has shown to our country continues to be steadfast, according to a statement issued by London Mayor Khan.
Queen Elizabeth was seated alone at Prince Philip’s funeral, and perhaps no one was more aware of the consequences than the queen. The monarchy appeared to be rattled by the media coverage about the matter. When it was time for Philip’s life celebration service a year later, Queen Elizabeth wanted to make sure there were no images that made her appear isolated or less than capable.
There were rumors that the queen had taken to using a wheelchair. There shouldn’t be a problem with anyone using a wheelchair, but the queen didn’t want photographs of her in the chair to be released. Princess Margaret was photographed in a wheelchair in the months leading up to her death and the queen was hesitant to do the same. “Her decline was very evident to the public, and so it attracted some public interest and some public sympathy,” Harris said.
After the death of her husband, Queen Elizabeth began to delegate more and more responsibility to her son, King Charles, and her grandson, Prince William. The state opening of parliament was going to be skipped by the queen in May 2022, according to a report by the BBC.
It was hoped that Elizabeth would attend the event and make the speech herself. Queen Elizabeth enlisted the help of her grandson to open Parliament, as well as tapping Charles to deliver the speech. The queen’s throne at Parliament was empty for the event, and Charles and William were seated in front of members of Parliament.