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Your support makes all the difference.A memorial for the late Duke of Edinburgh has taken place at Westminster Abbey from 10.30am today, Tuesday 29 March.
The Service of Thanksgiving was held at Westminster Abbey and saw a 1,800-strong congregation gather to honour Prince Philip’s life.
The Queen arrived at the service accompanied by the Duke of York, who also walked her down the aisle in the abbey to her seat. He then took his own seat in the front row of the congregation.
The service came after the 95-year-old head of state pulled out of the Commonwealth Day service earlier this month due to mobility issues, and has previously spoken about her struggle to move.
Earlier reports said the Queen was “determined” to be at the service. The Palace said she was actively involved in plans for the service, with many elements reflecting her wishes.
Follow our liveblog to get the latest updates on Philip’s memorial today.
The Queen’s brooch was another touching tribute to the Duke
The Queen’s entire outfit was carefully chosen to pay tribute to her late husband.
Aside from the dark green colour of her coat - which represented Prince Philip’s official livery colour - Her Majesty’s brooch also held significance.
Find out what her brooch meant below:
The Queen wore a brooch from Prince Philip to his memorial service
Her Majesty attended a Westminster Abbey service to honour Prince Philip
The public is divided over Prince Andrew’s attendance at the memorial
In a tweet that has received more than 1,000 likes, royal commentator Peter Hunt said today’s event was “the Queen endorsing Andrew” after he accompanied Her Majesty to the service.
“Either Charles and William didn’t intervene – or they did and failed to stop the prince performing such a high profile role at his father’s memorial service,” he said.
Prince Andrew’s attendance marks his first public appearance since he reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre in a sex abuse case leveled against him.
The Duke of York, who has denied ever meeting Giuffre, came to a multi-million pound agreement to stop the case from proceeding to trial.
Hunt’s comments have received a mixed response, with some defending Andrew’s appearance at his father’s memorial.
“Or she loves him still as mothers often do,” TV Presenter Kirstie Allsopp wrote of the Queen.
“The world will judge Prince Andrew, and his mother has done much to indicate her disapproval of his actions, but she has clearly decided there are some occasions where he remains her loved son, and his father’s.”
The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Also among those in attendance at Prince Philip’s memorial was his and the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips, who attended with his two daughters, and the Queen and Prince Philip’s granddaughter Zara Tindall, who attended with her husband Mike and their eldest daughter Mia.
In addition to family members, the memorial was also attended by almost 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
The memorial for Prince Philip comes after the Duke of Edinburgh’s death was marked with a small funeral service only attended by 30 people due to Covid restrictions. The initial ceremony, which saw the Queen sit alone as her husband’s coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault of St George’s Chapel, took place on 9 April 2021.
As noted by royal reporter Omid Scobie, today’s memorial “was finally a chance for the Queen to celebrate her husband’s life in the way she originally wanted - surrounded by those closest”.
During the celebration of Philip’s life, one moment of levity stood out - when his great-granddaughter Princess Charlotte caught herself on TV as the memorial was being live-streamed from the Abbey.
The moment, which was captured on camera, saw the daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who was seated beside her mother, sit up straighter and grimace slighly upon her realisation.
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