The Queen is marking the anniversary of the death of her mother, the day after attending a memorial service for her late husband.
The day will be kept quietly although the Royal Family is paying public tribute to The Queen Mother with a series of social media posts marking her long life and the deep affection in which she was held by many.
The anniversary comes just hours after The Queen was joined by her family and royalty from across Europe at a Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey.
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother died on March 30th 2002 at Royal Lodge, Windsor. Just weeks earlier, she had lost her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, who had passed away on February 9th after a long illness. The Queen Mother was already unwell by the time she attended Margaret’s funeral on February 15th 2002 although she attended a reception at the beginning of March that year. Her health declined rapidly after that and she passed away peacefully with her elder daughter at her side.
Speaking of her mother in a special address on the eve of her funeral, The Queen said: ”My family and I always knew what she meant for the people of this country and the special place she occupied in the hearts of so many here, in the Commonwealth and in other parts of the world. But the extent of the tribute that huge numbers of you have paid my mother in the last few days has been overwhelming.”
And she added she hoped that, at her funeral ‘sadness will blend with a wider sense of thanksgiving, not just for her life but for the times in which she lived – a century for this country and the Commonwealth not without its trials and sorrows, but also one of extraordinary progress, full of examples of courage and service as well as fun and laughter.”
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother took place on April 9th 2002 at Westminster Abbey. She was later laid to rest alongside King George VI in a special chapel at St. George’s where the ashes of Princess Margaret were also placed.
