Why The Queen is reportedly leaving Buckingham Palace following Prince Philip’s death
The funeral of Prince Philip took place yesterday (Saturday 17 April) in St George’s Chapel in Windsor, following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh last Friday (9 April) at the age of 99.
Watch: Mourning Queen to mark birthday without Philip for first time during reign
According to HELLO!, the Queen is set to leave Buckingham Palace, which has been her official residence since 1953 and is where she gave birth to Prince Charles and Prince Andrew. HELLO! reports that royal staff have been told that while the Queen will still spend summer at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Christmas in Sandringham House, she is expected to move permanently to Windsor Castle.
It is likely that Windsor holds a special significance for the Queen: it is where Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years, has been buried and it’s where the royal couple previously spent every Easter together before choosing to isolate there after the first national lockdown was announced back in March 2020.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Duke of Edinburgh had been predominantly based at Wood Farm cottage on the Sandringham estate, whereas the Queen stayed in Buckingham Palace due to her work commitments. As lockdown restrictions unfolded again in November 2020, however, Prince Philip purposely returned to Windsor Castle to spend the second lockdown with the Queen, celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary together on 20 November. According to Vanity Fair, lockdown was a happy time for the royal couple, who were able to spend more time together: enjoying daily walks around the private gardens and dining together each evening.
Prince Philip’s funeral, which took place yesterday, abided by coronavirus restrictions, meaning that only 30 guests were able to attend (pre-pandemic there’d be an expected 800 mourners attending). Another side effect of the COVID-19 rules was that the Queen had to sit alone during the chapel service, as mourners were required to sit two metres apart from anyone not in their household.
Our thoughts are with the entire royal family during this very sad time.
Watch: Who is The Queen?
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