Queen Elizabeth carries out 1st in-person royal duty since Philip's death
Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday carried out her first official in-person royal duty since the death of her husband, Prince Philip. According to the Court Circular — a daily list of events attended by the queen and her family— the monarch hosted a ceremony where the Earl Peel formally stood down as Lord Chamberlain, whose office organizes royal ceremonies.
During the private event held at Windsor Castle, the Queen accepted her former royal aide's wand and office insignia, according to the Court Circular.
Philip died on Friday at age 99. His funeral will be held on Saturday at St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Philip, who is also styled as the Duke of Edinburgh, will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral. Due to COVID-19, only about 30 people — most likely only close family and friends — will attend. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be not be attending.
The Royal Family is observing a two-week period of mourning. The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will "undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances," a royal official told BBC News. Until Philip's retirement from official royal duties in 2017, he was one of the busiest members of the Royal Family.
Earl Peel is the Lord Chamberlin, the most senior officer role in the royal household. He had been tasked with overseeing the plans for Philip's funeral, according to BBC News. The Earl Peel announced he would retire as Lord Chamberlain last year, according to BBC News. His replacement, Andrew Parker, a former MI5 chief, started in the role just over a week before Prince Philip died.
After Philip's death, the Royal Family shared on Instagram a quote from the Queen's remarks on their 50th anniversary: "He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know."
Queen Elizabeth and Philip's son Prince Andrew, who has left public royal duties due to his association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, said on Sunday that the Queen is "feeling it, I think probably more than everybody else."
"The queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person and she described his passing as a miracle and she is contemplating, I think that's the way I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying around to make sure that we're there to support her."
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's grandson, Prince William, said in a statement on Monday that he and his wife, Catherine, will will continue to "do what he would have wanted" and support the Queen.
"I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job," he said.