Many have noticed that in the wake of Prince Philip’s death back in April, Queen Elizabeth has seemed to be quite happy during her public appearances. Now, a royal expert is speaking out to reveal the real reason behind the Queen’s seeming joyfulness.

Royal commentator Richard Kay wrote for Daily Mail that both the Queen and Philip had promised one another that after one of them passed away, the other would enjoy the remainder of their life.

“Philip’s retirement had allowed her time to adjust to doing things alone. But provided he was at the end of the phone after a trying day, the world’s best-known double act could still function behind the scenes,” Kay wrote.

“Covid changed everything but, crucially, it brought an unexpected dividend in that she and Philip were together for the last 13 months of his life,” he added. “The two had often discussed how each would cope without the other at their side, and it boiled down to this: whoever was left should mourn, but not for too long, then enjoy what remained of their life.”

Mike Tindall, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara, said that the Queen did  “amazing” handling Philip’s funeral amidst COVID-19 restrictions.

“Having to see the Queen make a stand in terms of having to show what the world is at the moment and sit on her own and be as brave as she was, I thought, just summed up her up as a lady. She was amazing,” Tindall said, according to Metro U.K. “Then the funeral finished and it was ‘Get in your cars and go home,’ but that is what is allowed, that is what the rules state, so that is what happened.”

“It was tough but I thought the actual funeral was done so well that I think he will be looking down and he would have actually been happier about the way it happened,” he continued.

Philip died back in April at Windsor Castle just two months shy of his one hundredth birthday. He lived a truly extraordinary life, and he is missed by millions of people all over the world.