It’s been less than a week since Queen Elizabeth lost her beloved husband Prince Philip, who she was married to for 73 years, but she is already getting back to work and returning to her royal duties.
Court Circular reported that on Tuesday, four days after Philip’s death, the Queen hosted a retirement party for Earl Peel who stepped down as Lord Chamberlain a week before her husband died at 99.
“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,” reads the daily record of public duties of the British monarchy.
The position of Lord Chamberlain is the most senior officer role appointed by the royal household, and Peel had occupied it for fourteen years. Prior to his retirement, Peel had been overseeing the funeral arrangements of Philip, and his role will now be taken over by former MI5 spy chief Baron Andrew Parker.
Royal staffers were reportedly not surprised at all that the Queen has gone back to work so soon after the death of her husband.
“Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on,” a former senior aide at the palace told People Magazine. “She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life.”
“She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him,” added another royal insider.
That’s not to say that Philip’s death has not been hard for the Queen to handle, however.
“The queen has been left absolutely devastated,” NBC News royal contributor Camilla Tominey told Weekend TODAY one day after Philip’s passing.
Philip’s funeral is set to be a scaled-down affair this coming Saturday in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will be televised around the globe. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Queen during this extremely difficult time.
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