Prince Philip funeral latest – Grieving Queen to celebrate 95th birthday today without Charles, William and Harry visits
04/21/2021THE Queen has marked her 95th birthday with a solo photo as she spends the day without Prince Philip for the first time in over 70 years.
Her Majesty is still in a period of mourning following the death of her beloved husband of 73 years aged 99.
The Royal Family Instagram page today released a stunning shot of the Queen smiling while dressed in a plum coat and hat.
A caption says: “Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday.
“The Queen was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
“This year Her Majesty remains at Windsor Castle, during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.”
It is understood Prince Charles will not be seeing his mum at Windsor Castle today as he is grieving Prince Philip at his home in Wales.
Meanwhile Prince Harry has returned to his home in California and Prince William is also not expected to be visiting the Queen today either.
Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex will be among the first to visit the Queen today under a rota-style system drawn up by close family.
Her Majesty will also be visited by her son Andrew, granddaughter Eugenie and her newborn son August in the coming days.
Read our Royal Family live blog below for the latest updates…
- Sarah Grealish
PHILIP’S PET PEEVE
A LONG-TIME pal of Prince Philip’s has revealed the one thing the Queen did that annoyed the Duke.
Gyles Brandreth, who has penned a new book on Philip’s life, gave an insight into the royal couple’s 73-year marriage.
And while the pair were very happy in their lives together, the Queen had one habit that deeply irritated the Duke, he said.
Mr Brandreth, who appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, said the monarch’s frequent phone calls were the biggest cause of the Duke’s domestic ire.
He told Lorraine it was the “only time he ever complained about the Queen. He knew his whole life was about supporting the Queen and he never put foot wrong,” the author said.
“He always turned up, right day, right uniform, on time, one step behind. But he did find – he did say to me – ‘Oh god, she’s never off the phone, never off the phone. Who is she talking to?’”
Lorraine joked: “She’s got queening to do – she’s being the Queen.”
- Sarah Grealish
HARRY HEADS BACK
Prince Harry has rushed back to the US to be by pregnant wife Meghan’s side following Prince Philip’s funeral – missing the Queen’s 95th birthday.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, flew to Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight from London, which arrived at LAX shortly after 1.30pm local time on Tuesday.
His black 4×4 was seen leaving the airport’s private terminal minutes after the plane landed and was spotted again arriving in Montecito at around 4pm.
The royal’s return to America means he missed the Queen’s 95th birthday today – following a summit at Frogmore Cottage with Prince William, Kate and Prince Charles.
- Sarah Grealish
HARRY’S FAMILY ISSUES 'NOT ADDRESSED'
PRINCE Harry’s “outstanding issues” with his family were not addressed on his trip back to the UK despite a royal summit, a pal says.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, met with Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton at a summit after Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.
But a source hinted to pal Omid Scobie the rift may not be healed as their problems were not “addressed”.
The source told Bazaar.com: “This trip was to honour the life of his grandfather and support his grandmother and relatives.
“It was very much a family-focused period of time. Saturday broke the ice for future conversations but outstanding issues have not been addressed at any great length.
“The family simply put their issues to one side to focus on what mattered.”
- Sarah Grealish
OFCOM COMPLAINTS
MORE than 6,000 Brits have now complained to Ofcom over Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The show has attracted criticism from viewers throughout April – even though it was screened more than a month ago on March 8.
Hundreds more complaints have been logged over the past seven days.
In total, 6,203 have now complained about the two-hour special.
The news comes as Harry jets back to LA to be with pregnant Meghan after his grandfather’s funeral – and hours before the Queen’s birthday.
- Sarah Grealish
PRINCE HARRY TO RETURN IN SUMMER
PRINCE Harry WILL return to the UK and join William to unveil Princess Diana’s statue this summer, a Royal expert said.
The Duke of Sussex will come from the US for the exhibit after chats with his brother at Prince Philip’s funeral “broke the ice.”
According to Royal biographer Omid Scobie, the Duke of Sussex is expected to be at the statue unveiling for Princess Diana at Kensington Palace.
Writing in Bazaar.com, he said: “He will join William at Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden for a ceremony that was rescheduled from summer 2020.”
The statue of Diana is set to be revealed on July 1 – on what would have been her 60th birthday.
- Sarah Grealish
WILL AND KATE BACK TO WORK
Kate Middleton and Prince William have got back to work and visited the Air Cadets on the Queen's birthday to honour Prince Philip.
It is their first royal engagement since the 99-year-old Duke's death, and comes on the Queen's 95th birthday.
Prince Philip was royal patron of RAF Air Cadets for 63 years.
He handed the role down to Kate who became an honorary air commander in 2015.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today visited 282 (East Ham) Squadron, Air Training Corps in East London to hear more about how it supports young people to develop vital life skills.
During the visit, the Squadron paid tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh with a Three Cheers Salute.
- Ben Hill
CHARLES SUMMONED
Prince Philip summoned Charles to the hospital before he died to "brief him" on his future in the family, the Sun's royal photographer says.
The Duke of Edinburgh "made all the big decisions" in his household – and instructed his son on what would happen next, Arthur Edwards said.
The photographer, who saw the Royal Family's "raw emotion" from just yards away on Saturday, said Philip would have 'spoken plainly' to Charles in his final days.
Asked by ITV's Lorraine Kelly about Charles' obvious devastation during the ceremony, Edwards replied: "Can you imagine that conversation in the hospital three weeks before, when he was summoned by Prince Philip to come?
"It must have been a lot of plain speaking there, what he was expected to do, arrangements for the funeral."
- Ben Hill
LITTLE SYMPATHY
Prince Harry was barely acknowledged by certain members of his family at Prince Philip’s funeral – including Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex, it is claimed.
It has been reported that the Duke of Sussex, 36, has faced a “great deal of frostiness" since returning to the UK for his late grandad’s funeral on Saturday.
It is said that some members of Harry’s extended royal family “did not acknowledge him before or during Philip's funeral service.”
It is thought that tensions are still running high in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
A source told the Daily Mail: "There is a deep sense of protection towards the Queen and resentment towards Harry. There is little sympathy for him after what he and Meghan said on Oprah."
- Sarah Grealish
PRINCE WILLIAM BLASTS ‘DAMAGE’ THE EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE WOULD CAUSE
PRINCE William has blasted the European Super League for the damage it would cause to the entire football community.
The Duke of Cambridge, who is also President of the Football Association, said that he shared the same concerns of fans about the new league.\
This is the first time that the Prince has spoken out since his grandfather, Prince Philip‘s, funeral on Saturday.
“Now, more than ever, we must protect the entire football community – from the top level to the grassroots – and the values of competition and fairness at its core,” the Duke of Cambridge wrote to Twitter today.
“I share the concerns of fans about the proposed Super League and the damage it risks causing to the game we love.”
- Sarah Grealish
WILLIAM & HARRY MOVED PAST ‘PAINFUL’ FALLOUT
Body language expert Judi James examines the brother’s changing relationship through the years and explains how they have moved past their “painful” rift.
These poses at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral showed ice of glacial density being shattered.
The body language ritual of re-integration was so sudden it was less about gradual thawing and more about hacking through layers of resentment to show a united front.
Harry had given hints of his anxiety as he walked into and then out of the chapel, rolling his shoulders as though bracing himself and then tapping his order of service against his leg in a gesture of impatience or tension.
William’s own anxiety rituals came as Harry walked up to join him.
- Sarah Grealish
WHAT WAS IN THE WREATH LEFT BY HARRY AND MEGHAN
The wreath featured acanthus mollis, or Bear’s breeches, which is the national flower of Greece, representing Philip’s heritage, and Eryngium, or sea holly, in a nod to his time with the Royal Marines.
It also included campanula, which signifies gratitude and everlasting love, as well as rosemary to signify remembrance.
Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, also selected lavender for devotion and roses in honour of June, which is Philip’s birth month.
Willow Crossley is said to have hand-made the wreath, who also arranged the flowers for the couple’s evening wedding celebrations in Frogmore Gardens and for the Sussexes’ son Archie’s christening.
- Sarah Grealish
MEG ‘DID HER BIT’
Meghan Markle “did her bit” for Prince Philip’s funeral by sending a handwritten card as well as a wreath with touching hidden meanings, her pal has said.
Talking on ABC’s podcast The HeirPod, Omid Scobie – a friend of the Sussexes – said Meghan had “done her bit” by sending a handmade wreath in Philip’s honour.
“Of course the Sussexes were represented in full at the funeral – a wreath was provided by both Harry and Meghan and laid for the Duke of Edinburgh that was handmade by a florist that they’d used for Archie’s christening at Windsor Castle, and for the evening reception at Frogmore Gardens – again something that took place at Windsor”, Scobie said.
- Sarah Grealish
QUEEN THANKS NATION ON HER BIRTHDAY
THE Queen has today thanked the nation for “support and kindness” following Prince Philip’s death – as she spends her first birthday without him.
She told of her sadness on her 95th birthday, days after the funeral for her husband of more than 70 years, adding she was “deeply touched” by the good wishes.
She said: “I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
- Sarah Grealish
EXPLAINED: WHO IS LADY LOUISE?
Lady Louise is the daughter of the Queen and Prince Philip’s youngest son, Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie.
The 17-year-old is said to have emerged as the Queen’s favourite grandchild following a lengthy stay at the monarch’s Scottish retreat, Balmoral, over the summer of 2019.
Louise is 14th in line to the throne, behind her younger brother James, as they were both born before the 2013 Succession to the Crown Act, which officially ended the centuries-old rule that male offspring take precedence over females.
A royal insider said: “The Queen loves the fact that Louise and James relish their time at Balmoral, and she has become particularly close to Louise, who seems to have become her favourite grandchild, closely followed by James.”
- Sarah Grealish
PHILIP’S FUNERAL ‘WAS A SAD DAY FOR MEGHAN’
Meghan Markle’s pal says Prince Philip’s funeral is a “sad day for her” and the service was “very much on her mind” as she watched from the US.
Omid Scobie said the Duchess of Sussex, 39, would be grieving as she “has also lost a family member” – as the nation united to remember the Duke of Edinburgh.
He said: “Although Meghan isn’t here, she is of course supporting Harry….her mind is very much on the situation over here.
“We know that she’s supporting Harry in this very difficult week for him, but she’ll also be sad because this is also the loss of a family member for her.
“She grew very close to the queen and Prince Philip over the recent years. It was probably her strongest relationship within the family and those relations then get smaller this week. It’ll be a sad day for her.”
- Sarah Grealish
HARRY ‘PROMISED TO “RESPECT THE INSTITUTION” IN LETTER TO CHARLES’
Sources close to the Duke of Sussex said he was “forced to write letters” after a “complete communication breakdown”, the Mirror reports.
Harry told Oprah he had become partially estranged from Charles after the couple decided on Megxit.
He said he had “three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father, before he stopped taking my calls”.
And in his letters, he told Charles of his reasons for leaving – while promising to “respect the institution”, it’s claimed.
- Sarah Grealish
BIRTHDAY BLUNDER
THIS is the cringe-worthy moment Good Morning Britain’s birthday tribute to the Queen was interrupted by a dustbin lorry.
GMB’s roving reporter Jonathan Swain was outside Windsor Castle speaking about Her Majesty’s 95th birthday when a bin lorry awkwardly rolled into view.
Sitting in the studio, Susanna Reid did not mention the awkward live TV fail as a member of staff could be seen helping empty another bin into the back of the lorry.
But Jonathan later took to Twitter to make light of the situation.
The reporter wrote: “Not quite the sombre respectful tone I was going for – as the bins were being emptied during our first broadcast about the Queen’s first birthday as a widow. @GMB @ranvir01.”
- Sarah Grealish
KATE AND SOPHIE QUEEN’S NEW ‘STRENGTH’
In the wake of Prince Philip’s passing, the Queen is said to be leaning upon Kate Middleton and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.
Together with the Duchess of Cambridge, Sophie is said to be the new backbone of the royal family – a backbone not one of male dominance, but very much a female support and guide to how the monarchy is going to adapt and survive in the next two decades.
Royal expert Penny Junor said: “After all those years of having Philip by her side, both as a loving husband and a supportive consort, no-one will ever fill the void in the Queen’s life left by him.
“But she has the love of a nation and her own family to support her through the coming months. And she know she can always rely on Sophie and Kate.”
And Kate, while not being as close to the Queen as Sophie, is now seen to be a huge asset to the monarchy, not least for her attempts to act as the go-between in the rift between her husband William, and the errant Prince Harry.
- Sarah Grealish
PHILIP'S FUNERAL TRENDS
PRINCE Philip’s desire for a low-key funeral mirrors a trend where Brits have increasingly been opting for stripped-back send-offs in recent years.
The Duke of Edinburgh insisted on not having a state funeral as he wanted a low-fuss send-off. And it follows a growing trend for people to snub extravagant traditional send-offs and opt for low-fuss and cheaper options such as direct cremations.
Leading firm Low Cost Funeral has seen a rise of 540 percent in direct cremations in the past four years and chief executive Howard Hodgson puts it down to the British character of not wanting a fuss.
He said: “We are continually reading how expensive funerals are – but they don’t have to be. This is because you really don’t have to have a traditional funeral with a hearse and limousines if you don’t wish to."
- Sarah Grealish
‘IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN POST-FUNERAL SUMMIT’
Royal author Penny Junor said: “There is a lot to sort out here in terms of the relationship and a lot of anger on both sides to get released and talked through. I would be surprised if they managed to do that in this short time.
“My feeling is there is a lot to unravel here. Harry’s said some terrible things and Meghan threw Kate under a bus – so that will be so hard for William to get over and he’s protective of Kate, quite rightly he’s protecting his family.
“Calling someone in the family a racist, what a thing to do, how can somebody prove they’re not?”
- Sarah Grealish
MORE PEOPLE WATCHED PHILIP’S FUNERAL THAN HARRY AND MEGS’S WEDDING
The poignant funeral in Windsor Castle attracted half a million more viewers than the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which saw 13.1 million people tuning in, reports Tatler.
- Sarah Grealish
QUEEN ‘DROVE HERSELF TO BELOVED SPOT FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION’ ON DAY AFTER PRINCE PHILIP’S FUNERAL
THE Queen drove herself to her beloved spot in Windsor for some quiet contemplation the day after Prince Philip’s funeral.
The monarch bid farewell to her husband of 73 years on Saturday and a picture of her sitting alone at St George’s Chapel in Windsor showed the brutal reality of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more here.
- Sarah Grealish
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA’AM
THE Queen has marked her 95th birthday with a solo photo as she spends the day without Prince Philip for the first time in over 70 years.
Her Majesty is still in a period of mourning following the death of her beloved husband of 73 years aged 99.
The Royal Family Instagram page today released a stunning shot of the Queen smiling while dressed in a plum coat and hat.
A caption says: “Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday.
“The Queen was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
“This year Her Majesty remains at Windsor Castle, during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.”
- Sarah Grealish
MEGHAN WATCHED FUNERAL AT HOME
MEGHAN Markle issued an official press release ahead of Prince Philip’s funeral to announce she would be watching the ceremony from home.
The Duchess of Sussex confirmed she was observing the service in the US in a statement delivered by her and Harry’s ‘Global Press Secretary’.
The heavily pregnant 39-year-old stayed in the US on doctor’s orders while Prince Harry made the 5,400-mile trip ahead of the event.
The statement touched on the reasons for her notable absence, reading: “I can confirm that The Duchess will be watching from home as she was hopeful to be able to attend, but was not cleared for travel by her physician at this stage in her pregnancy,” the Mail reports.
The statement went on to describe Harry and his late grandfather’s relationship, and their “unique connection in their shared active service – including in combat – as part of the British Armed Forces.”
- Sarah Grealish
SUSANNA REID’S PRINCE HARRY JIBE
SUSANNA Reid appeared to make a sarcastic jibe at Prince Harry this morning – after he missed the Queen’s 95th birthday to rush home to his pregnant wife.
The TV firebrand put heavy emphasis on her birthday wishes to the monarch after Good Morning Britain co-host Adil Ray revealed the Duke of Sussex has returned home.
Adil said: “Prince Harry has reportedly returned home to California, meaning he will miss the Queen’s birthday.”
And Susanna chipped in: “Her Majesty turns 95 today” – before raising her eyebrows and looking directly at the cameras as she said: “Happy birthday.”
She added: “For the first time in her reign, she’ll spend it without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.”
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