The Platinum Jubilee is a unique celebration. Enormous crowds were lining the Mall, with people ready and eager to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70th anniversary reigning over the country and Commonwealth.
But “one familiar laughter” was missing. We knew this Platinum Jubilee would mark the first major event of The Queen’s reign without Prince Philip.
And yet, his absence was made realer when the Queen appeared on the world-famous balcony at Buckingham Palace with her cousin, the Duke of Kent, at her side.
Her entire reign, he was always there, one step behind her, attentive but not overbearing, ready to put people at ease, and to do his part to carry on the monarchic legacy.
And today, he wasn’t there. Maybe the biggest contrast compared to the other three major jubilees that Queen Elizabeth had the privilege of celebrating. Prince Philip was present for the Silver Jubilee in 1977, for her Golden Jubilee in 2002 (this one, a particularly hard one, as Queen Elizabeth had just lost her sister and her mother only a few months prior) and even for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (although he had to miss some events due to contracting a bladder infection).
The Duke of Edinburgh’s absence was felt widely among the public, but surely it must have been his family that missed him the most. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, his youngest granddaughter, has paid tribute to him on numerous occasions, as she inherited his passion for carriage driving and was seen driving around in his carriage on several occasions, both public (like the Royal Windsor Horse Show) and private.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s love is rumoured to be at the centre of a touching tribute that will be performed during the pageant on Sunday, when reports say that pop star Ed Sheeran will perform his love ballad “Perfect” while pictures of the royal couple will be shown, in a clear sign of how much he is missed in this first major public event without him.
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