Queen Elizabeth is just shy of her 95th birthday – it falls on April 21st. She spent more than 73 years of her life as Prince Philip’s wife, and she spent 82 years of her life in love with him. It really is extraordinary. Personally, I think the Queen wanted to sit by herself for her husband’s funeral. I think she wanted to be deep in thought, deep in grief, on the day when she formally said goodbye to him. But the British media wanted to make it into a big thing about why the Queen was seated alone. They said it was about Covid protocols and family bubbles? Which is weird because the Queen is vaccinated and so are Charles and Camilla, correct? Certainly Chuck and Camilla could have formed their own bubble with the Queen, especially for the past week? Which is why I think Liz wanted to sit alone and contemplate.
Another reason why she wanted to sit alone: it would have been another epic inter-family beef about who gets to sit with her and who “looks” closer to her. There would be protocols and tantrums and bald rage attacks. So instead of all that, the Queen asked her favorite son, Andrew, to sit closest to her (three seats away). The Queen also arrived at the chapel with her lady-in-waiting, Susan Hussey.
As for Philip’s other companion, Penny Knatchbull, she arrived quietly and I wasn’t even aware of her sitting very close to the family inside the chapel? She was photographed coming and going and looking very chic the entire time. I also think Prince Charles and Princess Anne have been going through a lot of separate grief in the past week. Both of them seemed really raw.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
Lady companion looks fabulous
She really does, very elegant. I wonder how Katie Keen felt having a peak at what her future holds, having the mistress welcomed to family events. No amount of pearls and tiaras would be worth this nonsense.
OMG Zapp lol so true. I wondered where Penny was seated in the chapel. But anyway, It was a beautiful event, I was surprised I evem choked up when the truck was coming out and they were explaining the hat, the sword and the flowers. Very sad amd beautifully accomplished event. My condolences to the Queen.
@DuchessL, I was scanning the chapel for Penny as well. At the very end of the service, I saw a woman sitting alone on Harry’s side, back row, in the seat furthest from the altar. It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot. I’m pretty sure that was Penny.
I saw some pictures of her, she is a really beautiful and elegant woman.
She does. And also bereft, in every picture we’ve seen from yesterday.
Yet the Queen does not look bereft. No widow’s veil, no mourning on her part. Out and about the very next day.
Serial philandering can destroy the injured party—especially decades of it. Sometimes you realize Diana was right about so many things.
The one class act from the BRF; allowing Penny Knatchbull to attend the funeral.
I guess we found out the Royal Family has feelings and are capable of some emotions besides anger, jealousy and snobbery. That’s something.
I was surprised at how touched I was at several moments. The Queen seemed frail and a little unsteady when she got out of her Bentley and walked into the chapel. Regardless of how close they were or were not at times in their marriage, he was the love of her life from a very early age and the longest relationship she ever had (with the possible exception of her mother). COVID may have thrown them together for the past year, but it also gave them an opportunity to re-establish their connection on many levels. I felt genuine sympathy for her yesterday.
The bit where the lone piper turned and walked out of the chapel and into the sunlight, with the music getting quieter and quieter as the body was lowered into the crypt. That made me cry and I am so glad they didn’t film the family as it was happening. The music was beautiful throughout.
@Jellybean did they show the body being lowered? I only saw the bagpiper and assumed they cut out the lowering on telly so as to give the family privacy. I know when my grandfather in law coffin entered the cremation chambers, my relatives started bawling and weeping because it was heartwrenching. So I thought that’s why they cut it out.
Jellybean, I cried at the piper coverage too, and didn’t realize that it was when Philip’s coffin was being lowered into the vault until after. That was well done, giving the family privacy for that wrenching moment.
The coffin was lowered very very slowly, I think it started when the guy in the very colourful outfit started reading out all of Philips titles and honours. I noticed it because it was strange to go from the clergy to someone who seemed to be some sort of ceremonial figure, possibly to do with the Knights of the Garter. The bottom of the coffin was about level with the ground when they cut to the piper. Seeing a coffin for the first time and seeing it leave, both are devastating. Crying again!!! Too many funerals by the time you get to my age.
BBC didn’t show the coffin being lowered but some of the other channels did.
TeamMeg, I watched the BBC coverage and they did show the coffin being lowered, but it happened so slowly that it took a while to realise it was happening.
@TeamMeg – Thanks for the update as I thought I was losing my mind. I did not remember the lowering of the coffin. Glad to know BBC just did not show it as that was the broadcast I watched.
@Amy Bee yes seeing the grief on the Queen, Charles and Anne was quite something. I’m not saying you have to display your grief. Just saying that was not something we saw of the royal family often: their fragility.
I honestly think it was what she wanted. The funeral was what Philip wanted but I think that for the Queen, it was probably nice to have a relatively private funeral. Of course it was broadcast to the world, so not that private LOL, but at least she didn’t have to sit in front of hundreds of people for it. The family was able to mourn as privately as possible in this situation
Or what Philip wanted… everybody’s acting like somebody told the Queen to go sit by herself, but don’t forget Philip planned his own funeral, and it’s not like they were ever going to be hugging all over her. Elizabeth herself has said before that is her favorite seat.
I thought it was a beautiful ceremony, the restrictions maybe even made it more impactful. The silence throughout was deafening. My sincere condolences to the whole family.
I heard the funeral describe as “Ostentatiously Royal in a very simplistic way” on the BBC World News channel.
According to commentary om BBC World News, Penny, Countess of Mountbatten was the “only non-royal commoner” in the church sanctuary.
I also suspect the Queen is secretly relieved it was a small funeral. At her age I think she has little energy to put on a stoic face and shake countless hands at a grand state funeral.
@Alexandria yes that is what I was trying to say. I think considering how much of their life was played out on the public stage, having this more intimate funeral was probably a relief in a way for her.
The vaccine is not a 100% guarantee.
But I believe she wanted to sit alone, I would have done the same thing, that is my MO.
I felt so sorry for Charles. The thoughts that were going through his head must have been a lot. To have a complicated relationship is one thing, but for your father to be such an honoured man…
It was a beautiful ceremony. My grandpa passed away in December, covid took him, we never had a proper funeral. So I watched this one and I got some kind of a goodbye.
It is very poignant for Philip to have left in such a time.
And I hope Her Majesty has all the support she needs.
I’m so sorry Laalaa. I too lost my grandfather in December. We had him cremated and there was no funeral. If and when this is all over, we will hold a celebration of life party. Hugs to you and your family. I know how strong the grief is. It still hits me daily.
Layla’s and Jules I am so sorry for your losses. Covid has left scars over so many hearts. We had a celebration of life for my dad months after his death because his Alzheimer’s had caused him to fall on my mom and break her arm. She was not up for a funeral after surgery. It was a nice event and nice to say goodbye after the rawness has cleared a bit.
“ Which is why I think Liz wanted to be alone, wanted to sit alone and contemplate.”
My thoughts exactly. Yes there were family dynamics that would have made it complicated (the Daily Fail already brought up that Andrew sat closest), but if she’d wanted a “support person” I cannot imagine why one of her Ladies in Waiting could not have sat with her. It’s a pretty hard role to fulfill without already being in her bubble.
I think Liz is pretty over the drama, and she has the right to mourn her husband of seventy years as she wished.
@ Mia4s, yes. TQ handled the death of her husband and confidante of over 75+ years in the manner in her choosing. Though I am grateful that the coronavirus, the funeral was not an extended and flashy occasion as this was Phillips wishes, not anyone else’s. I thought Princess Anne looked devastated as well, as I think she very much takes after her father with no excuses of who I am or what I do.
As for Phillips companion, Penny was the epitome of elegance and an extremely well dressed woman. There was not a hair out of place nor an error from the small yet defined bows on her hat and her coat. Very well defined and elegant, not flashy or boring, but perfectly put together. She reminded me of an era from the bygone days of effortless elegance and fashion, subtle but not one misstep.
Penny reminds me of Princess Alexandra, who for me is the epitome of grace, style and class.
Agree 💯. Grief makes you raw and a week of the drama from this family would wear anyone out. She probably said all of you over there I don’t want to deal with anyone flashing or incandescenting or any of it
One of her Ladies in Waiting was sitting beside her on the Bentley when she arrived.
So I am going with the idea of her wanting to be alone in the Chapel.
If she sat with anyone, there would be all sort of headlines about favorites or protocol or some made-up drama. Since most of her children are probably of an age to have had the vaccination, she could have sat with one of them if she did want a companion.
I have to admit that i was happy Harry got to sit on her side along with the fav son. It felt like a vindication, even if I was just making it up in my head.
Me too!! It was apparently obvious as TQ chose Harry to specifically sit in her row as she clearly has a favorite. I actually think that TQ truly admires Meghan with her dedication and devotion to service of others. Given that Meghan traveled with the TQ on the royal train early into the relationship/marriage brought me to speculate that TQ recognizes and admires Meghans decades of service and devotion. Meghan created and upheld her devotion to service of others starting out as a young lady and did so eagerly all the while creating effectiveness. I don’t think that anyone in the RF could compare themselves as Meghan in regards to what they have accomplished on their own, even though she was never royal!!
Royals, just like us. You could feel their grief, especially the Queen, Charles and Ann. The loss of a loved one hurts (regardless of how anyone else views/knows that person). My prayers are with them during this time of mourning.
What’s most unsettling to me has been the absolute monstrous behavior of the media. No care/concern for a grief stricken family. Only the desire and need to fabricate false narratives and print countless lies for click bait and profit. Truly disgusting.
Even in the funeral commentary they’d say “the day is to be about Philip” then still mention various points of drama. It was so noticeable they couldn’t let it go.
I don’t blame her for wanting to say goodbye to her husband on her own in the chapel. She’s had lots of people send their sympathies and sorries so if she wants a moment alone to mourn her husband not “HRH The Duke of Edinburgh” then she should get that.
Thank goodness Boris and other politicians were not there.
Yeah Chuck and Anne looked like they were barely holding it together on the walk down to the chapel – Anne was very close to her father and it seems Chuck was too. Hopefully this give Chuck the kick up the ass he needs to repair his relationship with his youngest son and give his oldest a spanking.
The funeral has done a lot to ‘repair’ the RF’s image with much of the recent scandal’s ‘forgotten’.
Anne looked so sad and so lovely.
I thought it was so incredibly sad when Beatrice paused for a moment on leaving to look back where her grandfather was laid to rest. Powerful image.
The Queen was probably fine with sitting alone, although the spacing apart was a little extreme considering she is vaccinated and Andrew, who was closest to her, probably is as well. Almost as if they wanted to stage this visual narrative of her being alone. The funeral is always a hard day to get through anyway, and it’s not as if there was going to be a lot of personal chit-chat during the service. Otherwise, I loved the ceremony on the Windsor grounds … gorgeous weather and the sense of Philip being laid to rest on his home turf. Really beautifully done.
I’m just here to talk about Andrew’s weird belly. Charles owns his old man paunch and stooped posture, but it seems to me Andrew is wearing a girdle or brace to suck in his gut and hold his back up.
@badrockandroll
Okay yeah, that would explain his extremely upright, cockatoo posture throughout the walk.
I hadn’t considered a girdle but I think you’ve hit on it exactly! Many thanks – thought I was the only one who noticed the extreme frontal puffery.
Some credit to them (or the staff members organising this more likely) – the rules in the UK are still that households dont mix, even if vaccinated. If the Queen was genuinely a single-person household she could ‘support bubble’ with another household, but given staff live with her she isn’t a single-person household and isn’t eligible to bubble with another household.
It feels like there’s a strain of competency starting to come through this last week – Charles finally stepping up, new Lord Chamberlain having an impact, or those new ‘crisis managers’ have started work?? My current vote is a blend of all three.
This is what I was thinking. They are very clearly role modelling the current rules for everyone to see. Technically she could possibly go into the support bubble but she’s hardly living on her own!
Vaccinated or not the rules still apply and people are more willing to challenge ‘our betters’ when we see them breached these days coughtorypartycough.
It looked like she was setting a very good example by following the same protocols, at least publicly. That’s good leadership.
They did release that they were adhering to the strict covid rules. I don’t know if it was to stop infighting or to set an example to the public that they too are following the lockdown rules. Either way it was a beautiful and thoughtful service.
The photos of the Queen alone were heartbreaking like her or not, loosing loved ones is difficult and watching anyone’s grief is not easy.
I think the Queen was fine sitting alone. She was with 29 other of her close family. She was not alone, they were all together in the chapel and it was probably a blessing that they could even do this only among them – it was probably very appreciated and cut a good deal of stress off them.
I believe Philip had a lot to say about who gets invited. Penny attended at his request , I feel.
Dan Rotten wrote about “the chilling lack of humanity” of the Queen sitting alone. So I guess he is ok with risking the Queen’s health during a pandemic and naturally, humanity does not apply to Meghan. Somebody check his brains. I think he has a parasite in there.
You have to have a certain level of badassery to sit by yourself at your husband of 73 years’ funeral. Petty Liz has some guts, that’s never been in question. I hope she’s finding some comfort.
It really was a moving ceremony. The three bits that made me tear up as I watched the BBC live coverage here in the UK:
– The Queen’s Bentley following the funeral procession and the narrator saying, ‘he’s walked 2 steps behind HMTQ their whole lives and now HM follows him for the first and last time on his final journey’
– The bagpiper playing the Flowers of the Forest lament and slowly retreating out the arched doorway as the coffin was being lowered
– HM looking so small, frail & old at the service with only her signature handbag by her side
I, too, found myself in tears a few times:
– The Fell pony carriage Philip used to drive, with his blanket, cap, and gloves placed neatly on the seat.
– Loading the casket onto the “hearse,” especially seeing how gutted Charles and Anne looked. Also, was anyone else a bit freaked by the flowers atop the casket? It reminded me so much of Diana’s casket!
– The bagpiper at the end had me teary, but the tears really flowed when the buglers of the Royal Marines sounded The Last Post.
Sap that I am, I teared up at the mention of the horses’ names and how the grooms were gentling them.
‘Jerusalem’ and “For Those In Peril On the Sea” had me diving for the tissues, as did the instrumental of “I Vow To Thee My Country” (Diana’s favourite).
I think she didn’t want to show favorites or add to the gossip around the event. It was out of respect to Phillip.
I agree Liz wanted to sit alone. As for Charles looking raw – Good. Now maybe he can have an inkling of understanding of how it feels to lose a parent. He was fortunate to have been in his 70s when he finally lost a parent, whereas his sons were a pre-teen and a young teenager. It really does impact your world no matter what the age.
I always wonder how do Beatrice and Eugenie feel about their own mother being treated so poorly. She could have easily sat next to Andrew.
Since Prince Philip loathed her, that would have been totally ill advised.
By all accounts, Philip HATED Fergie. If she had shown up at his funeral, I honestly think he would’ve risen from the dead to chase her out of there!
Have you watched the hilarious show The Windsors? The Fergie character is constantly being told to f-off by all, esp the Philip character. And she’s always trying to sneak in to events. It’s a really really funny show (but very rude).
Yes. Neither Autumn nor Fergie were there, I’m guessing at PP’s request. Supposedly he couldn’t stand Fergie. In hindsight, the idea that the Mids would attend is laughable. It was a very select crowd. I’m wondering if the queen has a select few in her funeral plans as well.
Fergie may have been considered but I think Pus Morgan disqualified her when he named her as the royal who supposedly supported him for trashing Meghan. Her showing up would have served as confirmation.
Didn’t Philip hate her though? Or is that just gossip? I thought one of the major reasons she and Andrew never remarried, even though she still lives with him on crown property, is because Philip was super against her being an official member of the family again.
It’s interesting that no one questions Fergie still living on the dole, as it were. When the girls were still kids, it made sense, but they’re both married and living their own lives now, and there’s Fergie still living with Andrew and benefiting from his crown and taxpayer funded lifestyle.
Philip may have stipulated that he did not want Fergie at his funeral.
Pedo-Andy and Fergie close to Lisbett. Speaking of really bad optics.
So I wonder now if Fergie and Paedo will remarry? Wasn’t Philip allegedly the only obstacle to their remarrying?
I thought the Queen looked extremely frail and wobbly when she was walking into the service. Sophie Wessex looked really sad through all of it-there’s a very touching picture I saw of her with Edward and their kids, and she is holding Louise’s hand. It was way more emotional than we’re used to seeing with the BRF.
Something I noticed was that a lot of the couples left the church holding hands. Beatrice and Edo, Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, Zara and Mike Tindall–all of them exited the church and reached for their significant other’s hand to hold.
The one couple who did not were W&K.
She sat alone for the exact same reason she has done every single other thing in her time as queen: to present an image of the monarchy. The image of the queen alone conveys her strength while inspiring empathy from everyone watching. Allowing any other member of the royal family into this image would invite speculation and muddy the image.
I don’t know if the funeral would be the beginning of some soul searching by the BRF on their behavior towards the Sussex’s. The jury is still out for me.
I doubt it. The institution doesn’t change. It might shrink. And George is being raised by two immature and uncompassionate persons, so don’t get ye hopes high. Harry was right to get out this early.
I think it’s one of the few perks of handing your child over to tennis coaches, riding instructors, nannies etc – at least they get positive outside influences when the immediate family aren’t quite so mature. A future king raised by Carole Middleton would be utterly unequipped.
I felt sad for her sitting alone. I don’t understand why her lady in waiting couldn’t have at least sat with her – they were in the car together, so why not in the church too? I think she loved her husband dearly – even if he didn’t quite return the same kind of love. I fear that the Queen will decline quickly after his death. That generally happens when one loses a spouse late in life.
I think having anyone sit with her would have ruined the optics of her grieving on her own. It was a poignant image and a very powerful one. And if someone sat with her it would’ve been a member of her family I’d think.
It was a very powerful image with her sitting alone. There was also a shot of her leaving in the car, sitting all alone in the back and it was a powerful reminder that Philip has been by her side for more than 75 years and will never be again. He was there before she was TQ and they had children, grandchildren and great-children. She has her family and staff, maybe some friends left, but not the person with whom she spent so much of her life and with whom she experienced all the highs and lows, births, marriages and deaths of life.
Not only that, I think it was set up to give an example of the social distancing rules in place in the UK. They would have been criticized for not following them.
There is a lot to dislike about this family, but seeing a small old lady (who physically reminds me of my own nan) sat by herself as her husband is buried is not something I can see without tearing up. She looks so small and fragile. I wanted to give her a hand squeeze.
I thought it was very poignant. No one knows what has gone on with them in 73 years. He was incredibly loyal to her, even if he wasn’t faithful. Their friendship was long and they worked together to change and support her reign. I’m glad she got the chance to say her final goodbye as he was lowered into the crypt.
As for Charles & Anne, yeah, they looked wrecked. They eldest kids always have a different relationship with the parents compared to the younger ones. I’ve seen that dynamic in my own family.
I loved the choir. Also the bagpipe was sooo touching. I felt my long-lost Scottishness.
Yes, that bagpipe was so poignant. And when the bagpiper dropped his head and his arm at the end that was so gut wrenching. I didn’t know they were lowering Philip’s casket at that time.
Penny Knatchbull was married to Prince Charles’ cousin, Norton Romsey, Prince Philip was Norton’s uncle.
I was really moved by what I saw of the funeral. But one thing I really don’t understand is having a “favorite child” and letting that be a known thing.
I don’t think the Queen or Prince Philip have ever said ‘this child is my favorite’ to anyone, but they can’t really stop the tabloids from shouting ‘this child is the Queen’s favorite’ at everyone all the time. And God knows the tabs love to make shit up.
I totally get why they kept her apart. The thing about vaccination is- it’s not a silver bullet.
Some vaccines don’t cover all the new, more contagious variants that are frequently emerging. Vaccinated people can also be carriers of the virus still. And the vaccines also aren’t 100% effective. They have amazing efficiency rates despite not being 100% though, it varies from approximately between 77% for the single shots and 90% for the 2 dose versions. So you can still be infected even when vaccinated.
What they do offer is a an almost full protection from death from the virus in most people, and protection against the severe advanced stages of COVID across the board.
But when a woman’s 95, yes you still want to keep her apart from people to be extra cautious. Even a light case of COVID in a person that old could cause complications that can go south quickly.
When that woman is one of the only forces capable of regulating England’s extreme bozos like BoJo and keeping the disaster of Charles as King at bay, you’d definitely want to protect her even more so.
I really felt the conflict on Charles face yesterday. You can tell he’s just in his grief and it’ll be a minute before he gets out of it. Can I just say that Anne is so much like her mother in her stoicism but she looked gutted yesterday and it really triggered me. I guess that will be my future soon too. A month ago, my father got diagnosed with a cancer that gives him less than 6 months to live. We have a loving relationship but he was in his late 50s when I was born and 60 when my sister was born (I’m 34 now). I also have an older-half brother who is now 62 who feels more like my father to me. He had kids similar in age to us and he always did the lion’s share of rearing my sister and me. I don’t deal with death well so I’m really scared of losing my dad but I also am prepared and grateful I had my dad well into adulthood given his age. At the same time, I’m close with my brother so I’m really scared of losing him and that complicates things for me.
I hope now that the public mourning is over, everyone in Philip’s family can mourn in private without the watchful eye of The Mirror, The Sun, Express and The Daily Mail. I can’t imagine how much their mere presence on the national stage mucks things up.
I’m so sorry about your dad. I hope you’re able to spend time with him and feel at peace.
I am sorry to hear about your dad‘s illness, I hope you’re able to spend some time and create some nice memories together before his time comes ❤️
I’m so sorry about your father @Taylor, I hope you’re able to enjoy time with him this year. I lost mine when I was 16 after he battled cancer too. Lots of love to you and your family.
I watched the whole thing, and yes, Prince Charles and Princess Anne looked very sad throughout all of it. Andrew, I noticed, right before the start of the procession to the church, looked up and met eyes with the camera that was pointed at him. He wasn’t looking ahead of him, he kept looking around him, presumably looking for where all the cameras were, I guess? I’m not going to try and assess how sad he felt based off of his facial expression. I think that’s really gross of people to do in general, so I won’t. But. He sure looked like he was focusing on other things at that moment, which was a real shame.
ETA: I watched the whole service yesterday, not live, but the video on YT afterwards. I wanted to watch it, bc I distinctly remember watching the Queen Mother’s funeral as a child, on TV, with my family. I liked the touches in this funeral–the note that the Queen wrote to Prince Philip, on top of the coffin. The amassed bands from all the various military regiments that Philip had relationships with over the years. The music that he chose for the occasion, the readings. Everything seemed very planned, down to the last detail, which I guess Philip had plenty of time to do in the last few years.
I think that in spite of COVID-19, he got exactly the sort of funeral that he wanted. I doubt he would have wanted a funeral with 800 people, and I think it was a good thing that he was forced to cap it at 30. The Queen did look sad. There was an interesting note from the commentator, at the start of the funeral, that Philip had walked 2 steps behind the Queen his whole life, but would be taking precedence for the first and last time at his funeral, where the Queen followed his coffin in her Bentley.
I found that the Queen sitting alone was also extremely symbolic. There is only one person who has been “by her side” for 3/4 of a century, and he is now gone. No one else can take his place.