This was the queen’s first public event after she tested positive for COVID-19 in October.
After coronavirus restrictions had reduced the size of Philip’s funeral last year, the service at Westminster Abbey in central London was described as a bigger celebration of Philip.
Roxana Saberi, CBS News correspondent, said that about 1,800 people were invited to the service. This included British and international royalty as well as members of the charities supported by the prince. The event was not only about the service, but also about who was there and who wasn’t.
The queen attended, despite speculation. After spending the night in hospital last October, and then catching COVID last year, the 95-year-old monarch has been reducing her public appearances.
“She has mobility problems. Roya Nikkhah, royal correspondent, told Saberi that some days are better than others. She said that Tuesday’s service was the queen’s most significant engagement in a decade.
She said, “She wanted to come here to show her, to pay her respects and to pay tribute to him.”
For Philip’s funeral in April, only 30 people were permitted inside due to pandemic restrictions. One of the most iconic images from that ceremony was a shot in which the queen sat alone in a pew in a church. The tiny funeral was so small that singing was prohibited.
The service offered the chance to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh’s dedication to causes like youth empowerment and the protection of the environment.
His son Prince Andrew made his first public appearance since the settlement of a sexual assault case brought in the U.S. by Virginia Giuffre. Virginia Giuffre had claimed that Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender, trafficked Andrew multiple times. Andrew helped his mother to her seat by escorting him down the aisle.
Philip’s grandson Prince William, his wife Kate, and their children attended the event. William’s brother Prince Harry (and his wife Meghan) chose to stay in their adopted country in the U.S.
Harry, no longer a member of the royal family’s working family, is currently in a legal dispute against the British government about security arrangements for his family and him when they travel to England.
According to a spokesperson, Harry intended to visit the queen as soon possible. She has not yet met Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet. Lilibet is named after the queen, and was born almost two months after Prince Philip’s death.
