Queen Elizabeth II Reportedly Returns to Royal Duties Only Four Days after Prince Philip's Death

Amidst the challenging mourning period following Prince Philip's death, Queen Elizabeth is still keeping up with her royal duties.

In the middle of the royal family's two weeks of mourning that they observe after the death of 99-year-old Prince Philip last week Friday, Queen Elizabeth has returned to her royal duties.

94-year-old Queen Elizabeth was the host of Earl Peel's ceremony, who stood down as Lord Chamberlain. It was a private event held at Windsor Castle.

RETURNING THE WAND

The Queen's return to her royal duties was recorded in the Court Circular. The event is said to have taken place on Tuesday, only four days after Prince Philip passed away. The Court Circular recorded the following:

"The Earl Peel had an audience of The Queen today, delivered up his Wand and Insignia of Office as Lord Chamberlain."

The 94-year-old monarch and her family are preparing for Prince Philip's funeral, scheduled to take place on Saturday with the service held at Windsor Castle.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

Although Earl Peel has stepped down from his position as Lord Chamberlain, he was still involved in the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral arrangements as the Lord Chamberlain's Office oversees royal ceremonies.

Prince Philip had only missed a total of eleven State Opening of Parliament ceremonies before he stepped back from his public duties.

Prince Philip's funeral is titled Operation Forth Bridge and has Earl Peel and Baron Parker, who has taken over the position of Lord Chamberlain, working on the details and arrangements of the service.

NOT HOLDING BACK

Working around the COVID-19 restrictions that are still in place, the Duke's funeral organizers are still pulling out all the stops to ensure that he receives the honorable funeral that he deserves.

Officers from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, and RAF will feature at the service as a sign of honor and respect. The vehicle carrying Prince Philip's coffin is also specially designed as Lieutenant General Paul Jaques shared about the Duke:

"And he had an enormous passion for all things engineering. In his own words 'If it wasn't invented by God, it was invented by an engineer."

PUBLIC APPEARANCES

Aside from the small appearances that the Queen will make during the official two-week mourning period, she is scheduled to make her return to public duties at the State Opening of Parliament on 11 May.

With the pandemic and the restrictions that accompany it, it is expected that the formality of the upcoming State Opening of Parliament will be toned down to ensure that safety is their priority.

The monarch will be accompanied by Prince Charles, her oldest son, who is next to inherit the throne. The Duke of Edinburgh was usually the one who sat beside the Queen during these prestigious ceremonies.

Prince Philip had only missed a total of eleven State Opening of Parliament ceremonies before he stepped back from his public duties in 2017, making this first ceremony without him especially difficult for his spouse.