Queen Elizabeth Returns to Royal Duties 4 Days After Prince Philip's Death
Queen Elizabeth has returned to work after her husband, Prince Philip, died last week.
Four days after his death on Friday, April 9, the Queen continued to fulfill her royal duties with an official event on Tuesday, April 13.
She held a retirement ceremony for former Lord Chamberlain, Earl William Peel, the most senior member of the royal household staff. At the ceremony in Windsor Castle, Elizabeth received his wand and insignia.
The official Court Circular schedule described the event: "The Earl Peel had an audience of The Queen today, delivered up his Wand and Insignia of Office as Lord Chamberlain and the Badge of Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order and took leave upon relinquishing his appointment as Lord Chamberlain, when Her Majesty invested him with the Royal Victorian Chain."
The earl had already overseen Philip's funeral arrangements prior to his retirement. Nearly two weeks ago, he passed on his title to Baron Andrew Parker, a former Director General of the intelligence agency MI5.
Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip's Romance Through the Years
Philip died at age 99 on Friday, following a recent surgery for a pre-existing heart condition. Though Elizabeth decided to get back to work during her time of grieving, Buckingham Palace staff has been expected to follow an eight day mourning period for the consort.
The Queen, 94, was married to the former WWII veteran for 73 years.
Prince Charles paid tribute to his "papa" in an press conference on April 10.
"As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously," the royal heir said. "He was a much loved and appreciated figure... My dear papa was a very special person who, I think, above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him."
Prince Harry also joined their period of mourning by flying from California to the U.K., where he reunited with his family.
He, too, shared a written tribute to Philip, writing, "My grandfather was a man of service, honor and great humor... He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm—and also because you never knew what he might say next."
Meghan Markle did not accompany her husband across the pond, citing health concerns as she's pregnant with their daughter.
A source close to the Duchess of Sussex exclusively told E! News that Meg "wishes" she could have flown over. "She would have put all the family tension aside to be there with Harry," the insider said, noting the spouses "are still not on amazing terms with the family."
