The Queen will ‘have to sit alone’ at husband Prince Philip’s funeral due to strict Covid-19 restrictions

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The Queen will "have to sit alone" during Prince Philip's funeral because of strict coronavirus rules, it has been reported.

According to the government website on the restrictions around attending a funeral, as of 12 April you "should remain socially distanced from anyone outside your household or support bubble and should follow guidance on how to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)."

The law also states that households must stay at least two metres apart from each other, which means members of the Royal Family will have to spread out their seating arrangements in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

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It also means that with the death of her beloved husband on Friday 9 April at the age of 99, the Queen will most likely be on her own as she's unable sit with anyone.

However, Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell, the Duke of Edinburgh's private secretary could attend and stay by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's side as he is known to be inside the 'HMS Bubble'.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told The Telegraph: “We have made it very clear that the service will be Covid compliant.”

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Andy Langford, clinical director of the charity Cruse Bereavement Care, of which the Queen is Royal patron, added that people have found it “immensely difficult not being able to grieve the way they want to grieve" throughout the ongoing pandemic.

He continued: “The Queen may be standing alone, but there is a difference between being alone and feeling isolated, and the important thing is that you can have people you can reach out to.

“It’s also about being fully informed in advance about how the ceremony will take place. We advise people that yes, the funeral itself is important, but the time before and the time after are really critical.”

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It comes as the Queen carried out her very first official in-person Royal duty just four days after the death of her husband Philip.

It was announced that the monarchy would be observing two weeks of mourning with members of the family "continuing to undertake engagements appropriate to the circumstances".

The Queen hosted a retirement ceremony for former Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel, her household's most senior official, on Tuesday.

Prince Philip 1921-2021

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The Earl Peel oversaw arrangements for Prince Philip's funeral before handing it over to his successor chief Baron Parker.

A statement recorded in the Court Circular, a daily list of events attended by The Queen and the Royal family read: "The Earl Peel had an audience of The Queen today, delivered up his Wand and Insignia of Office as Lord Chamberlain and the Badge of Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order and took leave upon relinquishing his appointment as Lord Chamberlain, when Her Majesty invested him with the Royal Victorian Chain."

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