One of the Queen’s most
trusted aides has shared poignant details of how the Queen spent time alone in
the hours after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
She says: “I helped her
off with her coat and hat and no words were spoken. The Queen then walked to
her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her own
thoughts.”
Angela, whose full title is
Her Majesty’s Personal Advisor and Curator (The Queen’s Jewellery, Insignias
and Wardrobe), was a member of “HMS Bubble”, the team of staff who
isolated alongside Her Majesty and Prince Philip throughout lockdown to protect
them from Covid-19.
She writes of the day he died,
9 April 2021, “The feeling among all the Royal staff in the bubble at
Windsor Castle was sombre. Only a few of us were told after the family had been
informed.”
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| The Queen sat alone at Prince Philip’s funeral last year |
On the day of his funeral, 17
April, staff were allowed to stand outside the Augusta Tower door opposite St
George’s Hall at the Castle. Angela writes: “The Queen’s dressers, pages,
chefs, housemaids, footmen and Castle attendants all stood to attention as The
Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin was carefully placed onto the Land Rover that he had
specially designed for the day.
“You could see the
expression of sadness on everyone’s faces to see such a great and
well-respected man making his last journey. Their thoughts, I’m sure, were for
The Queen, knowing she had lost a husband and a best friend. The nation shared
the grief and their hearts went out to Her Majesty.”
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| The Other Side of the Coin, The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, £25, Amazon and all good book stores |
She says of the late Duke’s
pages and valets, who walked behind his coffin: “We all felt their pain as
they had worked with him for so long and we had worked alongside them. It was
hard to watch our own friends saying goodbye to their amazing boss, His Royal
Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.
“I’m sure some of the
prayers that were offered were by those who had never prayed before. I think
those prayers were offered to keep The Queen strong throughout the months to
come, when she would be without her husband.”
