Queen has shown ‘grace and strength’ in year since Prince Philip died

The Queen has shown ‘grace and strength’ in the year since her beloved Prince Philip died, a royal expert has claimed. 

Today marks the first anniversary of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 on 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle.  

The monarch, 95, last week joined 1,800 mourners at Westminster Abbey for a memorial service for her husband, whom she called her ‘strength and stay’.

And today, the royal family has marked the first anniversary of Philip’s death by sharing poignant social media posts.  

Speaking to FEMAIL, royal expert Phil Dampier revealed how the Duke ‘would have told the Queen to enjoy the time that is left to her’, rather than mourning for the rest of her life.

He explained: ‘To cope with her grief while also having to deal with the fallout from the Prince Andrew sex scandal, Harry and Meghan’s shenanigans and Prince Charles’s cash for donors problems show what an extraordinary woman she is.’

Phil explained: ‘It’s incredible to think it’s already a year since we lost Prince Philip.

‘The Queen has shown an amazing inner strength, poise and courage in the way she has dealt with his loss. 

‘We were already used to seeing him on royal jobs without him as he had retired three years earlier.

‘But behind the scenes he was still supporting her and she would have felt his loss immensely.’

Today marks the first anniversary of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 on 9 April 2021 at Windsor Castle

The royal expert continued: ‘Ironically they spent a lot more time together than they might have done as they were locked down at Windsor Castle during the pandemic.

‘The Queen was happy for him to stay at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate so that he could enjoy his retirement, but events brought them back together.’

The Queen has faced a challenging year since her husband Prince Philip’s death, with the country still battling through the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Amid the crisis, his funeral, which was held at St George’s Chapel at Windsor, was attended by just 30 mourners. 

During the service, the Queen wiped away tears and bowed her head in reverence as she accompanied her husband’s coffin on its final journey while their eldest son Prince Charles cried as he walked behind the casket into church followed by other devastated royals. 

Royal expert Phil Dampier said the way the Queen has handed ‘Prince Harry and Meghan’s shenanigans’ showed how ‘extraordinary’ she is 

Phil highlighted how the monarch was initially forced to mourn alone due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying: ‘No-one will forget the Queen having to sit alone wearing a mask at his scaled down funeral.

‘She then tried to throw herself back into work but her mobility problems have meant that at nearly 96, she must now pace herself.’

He added: ‘The only time she has looked upset was at his memorial service when she seemed tearful.

‘Personally I thought the service was magnificent but it could have done with a brief eulogy, maybe from a family member, to capture his humour and personality.

‘That would have lifted the mood.’

The Queen has also faced other challenges this year – including Prince Andrew’s sex abuse scandal (pictured)  

However despite the clear loss the Duke’s death has left in the Queen’s life, the expert said the monarch has been determined to look, and move, forward.

He said: ‘There is no way that the Duke would want the Queen to slip into some Queen Victoria style mourning and wear black for the rest of her life.

‘He would have told her to enjoy what time is left to her.

‘She will take comfort from her deeply held religious views and the fact that she will rest through the ages with him and her parents in St George’s Chapel at the Castle.’ 

In a series of difficult personal challenges, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have continued to give explosive interviews revealing bombshells about the royal family.

Despite the clear loss the Duke’s death has left in the Queen’s life, the expert said the monarch has been determined to look, and move, forward (pictured, the Queen receiving a Duke of Edinburgh rose in June last year) 

Meanwhile the monarch has suffered a string of debilitating health issues since last autumn – including a bout of Covid – and is increasingly using a walking stick. 

Phil explained:  ‘She has the ability to compartmentalise difficulties and deal calmly with them, and that is what makes her such a great leader.

‘Politicians could all learn from her example and she is going to be irreplaceable.’     

Last week, in a now rare public engagement, the monarch was joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visiting royals, and some 1,800 guests as she paid a final tribute to her beloved husband of 73 years. 

There were fears the Queen would be unable to attend due to mobility issues, however she made the journey from Windsor Castle to London. 

Meanwhile the monarch has suffered a string of debilitating health issues since last autumn – including a bout of Covid – and is increasingly using a walking stick (pictured in March) 

Controversially, she was escorted by her disgraced son Prince Andrew. 

To the shock of many in the congregation, the shamed royal, 62, escorted his mother all the way down to her front-row position – in full view of the live broadcast cameras – after travelling with her from Windsor.

It had been expected that the Dean of Westminster would take the Queen to her seat, with Andrew behind. 

The Queen’s decision to have Andrew accompany her comes despite him paying up to £12million earlier this month to settle a US civil sexual assault case – and it will be seen as a major signal of support to her second – and some say ‘favourite’ – son.

The Daily Mail revealed today that senior royals had ‘reluctantly’ accepted Andrew would travel with the Queen to London because they live so close to each other.

But they had hoped ‘common sense’ would prevail and that Andrew would not seek to play a prominent role in his first public appearance since he struck the out-of-court settlement with Epstein victim Mrs Giuffre, 38.

Public farewell: The Queen with Prince Andrew at the Duke of Edinburgh’s service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey last Tuesday 

A family source said that senior royals – including Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge – were ‘dismayed’ by events and that Andrew’s decision to put himself ‘front and centre’ of the service had caused ‘consternation’.

Following the public memorial, it was reported that the Queen would mark the anniversary of her husband’s death privately at Windsor.       

The monarch has commemorated today’s date with a post and caption shared on the Royal Family Instagram account.

Still images of Prince Philip were edited into a video for the platform, which was accompanied by the poem  ‘The Patriarchs – An Elegy’, which was written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for the Duke’s funeral.

Meanwhile, a post shared by Clarence House, featuring images of the Duke with his family, was simply captioned: ‘Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh today, one year since his passing.’

Both posts received messages of condolences from commentators, 

Clarence House shared this image on Instagram to commemorate the first anniversary of Prince Philip’s death, simply captioning it: ‘Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh today, one year since his passing’

Many commentators took to the platform to share their condolences with the royal family, as they marked a year since the death of the Duke

On April 21 the Queen will celebrate her 96th birthday. 

This summer the Queen will commemorate 70 years on the throne with a Platinum Jubilee celebration.  

Questions remain as to what involvement Andrew, who paid millions out of court to settle a civil sexual assault case, will have in the Jubilee, amid suggestions he could appear at the service of thanksgiving and even the Epsom Derby despite stepping down from public duties.