The queen was sitting alone in St George’s Chapel today while the Covid regulations forced her to separate from her family and wear a mask.
The 94-year-old king snapped a figure of silent dignity as she watched as her beloved 73-year-old husband was laid to rest.
Following strict rules for social distancing during the pandemic, the queen even set an example in grief, setting it apart from family members arranged around the church. Other royals who are in family bubbles sat together.
The monarch arrived at the service in the royal Bentley with her wife, Susan Hussey (81), widow of former BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey.
So is her bond with the royal family that Lady Susan is one of the dukes of Cambridge’s godparents, and also attended his confirmation in 1997.
Over the past year, she has joined the Queen and Philip at HMS Bubble as one of the twenty staff caring for the royal couple at Windsor Castle.
Queen Elizabeth had to sit alone in St George’s Chapel for her husband’s funeral service due to coronavirus restrictions
Her Majesty stands alone, with her head bowed, in the chapel while her husband’s coffin is carried into the church to rest.
She then looked at the doors of the church when the coffin was carried by soldiers on the last journey
The 94-year-old monarch cut a figure of silent dignity as she watched as her beloved 73-year-old husband was laid to rest
Her Majesty, with tears in her eyes, looks at her momentary silent reflection through her husband’s coffin
The queen wiped a tear from her eyes as she arrived behind her husband’s coffin as Prince Philip’s funeral began this afternoon.
The monarch arrived at the service in the royal Bentley with her wife, Susan Hussey (81), widow of former BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey.
The masked queen, wearing a mask and dressed in black, is led to her seat in the chapel where she sat alone
Lady Susan did not sit near the Windsors in the Quire or in the Nave, but elsewhere in the chapel nearby if the Queen would need her.
Today she accompanies the queen in the state of Bentley as she leaves the castle to go to the back of the procession with Philip’s coffin to St George’s Chapel.
Although she entered the chapel, Lady Susan was there as a working household member and not one of the 30 guests.
Lady Susan stayed nearby just in case the Queen needed her, but not at the Windsors in the Quire or in the Nave, but elsewhere in the chapel.
Ladies who wait are the unsung members of the queen’s household and are personally chosen by the monarch.
They have a variety of duties, including handling private and personal matters for the Queen and handling her correspondence.
They also help the queen with official assignments, from handing over money to handing out the flowers offered to her.
In 2001, Lady Susan gave the Queen a coin so she could buy The Big Issue from a magazine seller while on an official day trip to Brighton.
She was also present at unique moments in history – such as on the Spirit of Chartwell ship with the Queen and other members of the royal family for the Diamond Jubilee River Competition at the Thames in 2012.
This is the funeral procession for tomorrow’s funeral, where William and Harry will not be standing next to each other with the queen following in the back of her car.
Lady Hussey is the fifth and youngest daughter of Geoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave, and is married to the late chairman of the BBC, Marmaduke Hussey.
The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, who are having a difficult relationship, did not walk shoulder to shoulder with their cousin Peter Phillips between them.
The march of the royal family was led by Prince Charles and Princess Anne who looked like the coffin emotionally
Prince Philip’s coffin originated from Windsor Castle when the royal family mourned with the queen his husband during his funeral.
The coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh was covered in his personal standard and carried his sword, navy hood and a wreath of flowers while masked pallet bearers lowered him to his extraordinarily self-designed Land Rover hearse.
Ladies who wait often wait on the queen for more than 50 years and act as friends and loyal assistants, and their discretion and support will be invaluable if the queen mourns.
The late Marmaduke Hussey, who died in 2006, was BBC chair when Princess Diana of Wales gave her a 1995 Panorama interview, but according to tradition, he did not get a preview.
“Duke” Hussey has been a leading newspaper executive for decades, holding the coveted BBC job when he retired from News International.
Lady Susan is also a sister of former Tory Cabinet Minister William Waldegrave.
The wives of the waiting queen, personally elected by the monarch, have a variety of duties, including handling private and personal matters for the queen and handling her correspondence.
They were part of HMS Bubble – the name was given to the limited number of staff members who attended the Queen in Windsor during the lock-up.
Some women who have been waiting have been with the Queen for over 50 years and act as friends and loyal assistants, and their discretion and support will be invaluable.
Members of the Army march before the funeral service at Prince Philip’s house in Windsor
The divisions of service personnel of the military units of the duke had a special relationship on the green of the square of the castle, while troops of the domestic cavalry and the foot guards were at the edge of the castle.
The Foot Guards Band is seen marching ahead of the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle