Queen Elizabeth.Photo: YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Queen Elizabethis back to work at her computer screen.
The Queen, who was seen flashing a smile in a photo from the meeting, wore a floral print dress and a pearl necklace — her go-to accessory — for the occasion.
Queen Elizabethhas had to cancel several engagements due tocontracting COVID-19in February amid other health concerns, but she arrived at the memorial service at Westminster Abbey on March 29on the arm of son Prince Andrewand used a walking cane before heading to her seat in the front row. Although. the Queen was actively involved in the plans for the Service of Thanksgiving, it remained a last-minute decision if she would be able to attend.
Pascal Gayma and Queen Elizabeth.YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
For the service,Queen Elizabeth(as well as several other family members)wore a special shade: dark green, the color ofPrince Philip’s official livery. Known as “Edinburgh Green,” it has been used for staff uniforms and private cars. A green Land Rover was also used to carryPrince Philip’s coffin at his funeral last April.
The monarch has gradually handed off some of her patronages and public engagements to younger royals. Given her age andrecent health setbacks— including issues with mobility, for which she reportedlyreceived a top-of-the-line golf cartto help her around — it is an inevitable transition.
Salah Mrehil and Queen Elizabeth.YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Now that herhome base has moved from Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle, that also means more virtual engagements for the Queen — and more of a need for other royals to carry out her duties at Buckingham Palace.
Now thatPrince Andrew has been stripped of his royal roleamid his sexual assault lawsuit andPrince Harryand Meghan Markle have moved to California after stepping back from their roles, the Queen relies on a core group of senior royals, including Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prince William and Kate Middleton; Princess Anne; and Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Queen Elizabeth.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images
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Prince Charles, 73, will reign next alongside his wife, future Queen Consort Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 74, but “because of the ages of all the participants, there must be a feeling that long-term, the future of the British monarchy is more about William and Kate—spiritually, not in terms of actual succession,” historian Sarah Gristwood, author ofElizabeth: Queen and Crown, tells PEOPLE.
“The baton of the crown has to pass to Charles and Camilla, but there is a sense of a baton also being passed from the Queen to William and Kate. Charles and Camilla have a lot of life experience between them, and they’re not going to change. The future belongs with the Cambridges,” she adds.
Prince Charles, Camilla, Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Kate Middleton.Jack Hill - WPA Pool / Getty
source: people.com
