It has just been announced that Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin Prince Edward will be going with her to her birthday parade the Trooping of the Colour when it takes place on June 12. Edward will be taking the place of the Queen’s husband Prince Philip, who died back in April at the age of 99.

Sources confirmed to Page Six that Edward, 85, will be the Queen’s “plus one” at the Trooping of the Colour celebration in Windsor. The Queen and Edward are related through their late fathers, Prince George, the former Duke of Kent, and King George VI.

This won’t be the first place that Edward has taken Philip’s place at this event, as he also accompanied the Queen to the 2013 Trooping of the Colour. Philip was in the hospital at the time following an operation on his abdomen, according to the BBC.

The Queen was devastated when Philip died on April 9, two months shy of his 100th birthday.

“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,” she said in a statement at the time.

It is believed that the Queen will be joined at the Trooping of the Colour by Prince Charles and Camilla, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton. No mention has been made of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending in the wake of their bombshell tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey back in March.

Palace sources told The Mirror that the Queen is excited about royal events resuming following the death of Philip and with the Covid restrictions now easing, saying that she has “genuine enthusiasm” for more engagements.

“There is a strong desire to return to normal duties and for the country to return to normal too,” the palace source said.

The royal family reportedly does not want the Queen to be on her own at events like the Trooping the Colour, as she was last year at a scaled-back parade at Windsor Castle.