Over the weekend, on Saturday 17th April, the British royal family said a final farewell to the Duke of Edinburgh who passed away on Friday 9th April aged 99. The funeral was a small gathering in line with COVID-19 regulations and many members of the royal family were photographed at the service. However, one particular shot has been making the rounds and is utterly heartbreaking.
Side by side photos of the Queen and her husband of 73 years were shared on social media. The first shows Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sitting in the pews of St George’s Chapel during Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018. The next photo shows the Queen dressed in all black at the funeral, held at the very same chapel, with a faded, ghost-like image of her husband by her side.
The caption read: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” which quotes the Queen’s speech on the occasion of their 50th anniversary in 1997.
Prince Philip’s passing was announced by official social media accounts that noted he “passed away peacefully” at Windsor Castle. In the week that followed the announcement, various photographers, official royal family social media accounts, and family members shared tributes and heartwarming photographs to remember the prince, including one that featured the Queen and the Duke alongside seven of their great-grandchildren back in 2018.