Elizabeth II leans on Andrew at the Duke of Edinburgh’s official farewell

Queen Elizabeth chose Prince Andrew for support and stellar company in the great ceremonial day in farewell to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The British monarch, with limited mobility at 95 years old, entered escorted by her second son, her son, in Westminster Abbey, where the official ceremony in memory of her husband took place this Monday. Mother and son traveled before, accommodated in the back seat of a Land Rover, the 40 kilometers between Windsor Castle, now habitual residence of Elizabeth II, and central London.

It was a clear gesture of trust in the disgraced Duke of York, who last month paid a millionaire compensation to silence the woman who accused him of sexual abuse when she was a minor. Andrés was removed from his royal duties as a result of the notorious civil lawsuit, but he is still a member of the royal family, his mother came to say in her first official and public outing since last October, when she was hospitalized a few hours.

Queen Elizabeth’s attendance at the Duke of Edinburgh’s thanksgiving service was in doubt until the last moment. She even told herself that she would travel by helicopter to shorten the journey and ensure her presence at the ceremony in memory and celebration of the life of her consort and husband of 73 years. Elizabeth II entered the beautiful temple through a side door, next to the Corner of the Poets, with which she avoided walking down the long central corridor under the affectionate and curious gaze of guests and viewers. Of course, the television cameras diverted the focus every time the nonagenarian had to maneuver a complicated step to reach her majestic chair in front of the altar.

Philip of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021, with coronavirus restrictions still in place. Only 30 people attended the funeral, in Windsor. Personal distance was respected and the photograph of the queen, alone on a bench in the chapel, with clothes and a face in mourning, is the image that sealed the duke’s most intimate farewell. Enrique was present at the mass and subsequent burial, the great absentee of the twenty direct relatives who attended the Westminster memorial on Tuesday. The Duke of Sussex has become involved in a lawsuit with the British Government about the level of protection that corresponds to him as a former member of the Royal House and refuses to travel with Meghan and the two children to England until he believes the safety of his family is assured .

Edinburgh Green

Don Felipe and Doña Letizia did not miss the farewell to their “dear uncle Philip”, nor did the kings of Norway, Belgium and Holland, who were accompanied by Princess Beatriz, as well as queens Margarita of Denmark and Ana Maria of Greece . Prince Albert of Monaco also attended the religious service.

The King and Queen of Spain, at the ceremony held at Westminster Abbey. /

EFE

Queen Letizia wore a warm dress in Edinburgh green with a matching headdress. It was the dominant color among the most distinguished group of attendees, from Elizabeth II to her daughter Anne and her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with which the ladies paid tribute to the husband of the queen of England. She surprised Catherine of Cambridge, in black and white, at a ceremony in which she was asked not to go into mourning.

The military uniform was discarded as etiquette for the guests. Thus, Felipe VI wore a dark suit jacket, white shirt and light tie. He dispensed, this time, with the distinctive blue band of the knights of the Order of the Garter, the highest recognition of the British monarchy that Queen Elizabeth granted him in 2019.

The ceremony followed a script outlined by the Duke of Edinburgh himself, whose execution was commissioned by his widow. Ornaments with red, white and blue flowers; military bands alternating their entrances with the voices of two choirs of floral children and adults; and, among other unique details, interventions by young people who owe their professional careers to scholarships and prizes from the charitable foundations of the honoree Prince Felipe.