The service was the first major event this year attended by the Queen Elizabeth, who travelled by car from Windsor Castle with Prince Andrew, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family have joined a memorial service to celebrate the life of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Her son the Duke of York – in his first public appearance since settling a civil sex assault case – accompanied her to Westminster Abbey, the BBC reported.
De Koning, Koningin Máxima en Prinses Beatrix wonen in Londen de dankdienst bij voor het leven van Prins Philip. ‘The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’ vindt plaats in Westminster Abbey.https://t.co/Zs138Czm57 pic.twitter.com/7Yt0mVKVkM
— Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) March 29, 2022
Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, was described as a “remarkable man” committed to “down-to-earth” causes.
The service was organised as Covid rules meant his funeral, held almost a year ago, had only 30 people present.
Representatives of many of his charities – including the Duke of Edinburgh Award – attended Tuesday’s service, which had 1,800 people in attendance, according to the BBC report.
It was the first major event this year attended by the 95-year-old monarch, who travelled by car from Windsor Castle with Prince Andrew.
There had been doubts she would attend, and she only made the final decision in the hours before the service.
The Queen has had mobility problems and had to pull out of the Commonwealth Service earlier this month. She also tested positive for Covid in February.
Special measures were put in place for her comfort, including keeping the length of the service to 45 minutes.
Unlike the funeral in Windsor last April, where the Queen was poignantly pictured sitting alone, she had close family members in all the seats around her.
The Queen and Prince Philip’s two elder children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were sitting in the same row as her.
Prince William and his wife Catherine were in the row directly behind along with two of the Queen’s great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Queen’s other two sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, also had front row seats, across the aisle from the Queen.
But Prince Harry, who has been in a legal dispute over the provision of security, did not travel from California, where he lives.
Political leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were among the guests, as were representatives from European royal families, including from the duke’s native Greece.
The service was stamped with the personality of Prince Philip, with many of the elements originally intended for his funeral at St George’s Chapel included.
Meanwhile, the Queen had chosen to be accompanied by her son Prince Andrew to her seat in Westminster Abbey despite the Epstein scandal.
Prince Andrew cheerfully waved at photographers as he and the Queen skipped several royal receptions and returned to Windsor Castle in the afternoon.
The social media witnessed rage from the users seeing Prince Andrew escorting his mum, the Queen, to her seat in Westminster Abbey.
Prince Andrew had earlier agreed to a multi-million-dollar legal settlement with a woman who accused him of raping her when she was a teenager. In January, the Buckingham Palace had announced that Duke of York Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and royal patronages had been returned to the Queen.
The Duke of York held several honorary military titles following a 22-year service in the Royal Navy.
Andrew is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
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