Queen Elizabeth Gets Back To Her Royal Duties In First Appearance Since Prince Philip's Funeral
For the first time since her husband's funeral on April 17, 2021, Queen Elizabeth – who was sadly pictured alone at Prince Philip's funeral — performed her royal duties during two virtual meetings April 27. Speaking from Windsor Castle, the monarch smiled while greeting Ivita Burmistre, ambassador from the Republic of Latvia, and Sara Affoue Amani, ambassador from the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, as noted by People. The ambassadors gathered at Buckingham Palace for the virtual visit, but the queen still adhered to COVID-19 restrictions.
The event marked the second communication from the Queen since attending Prince Philip's funeral. Queen Elizabeth shared a written statement on her 95th birthday, April 21, 2021, in which she thanked everyone who had paid tribute to her late husband of 73 years, as reported by Reuters. "My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days," she wrote. "We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life."
The royal family has resumed their duties since mourning Prince Philip
It is traditional for Queen Elizabeth to welcome foreign ambassadors to Buckingham Palace, but she has been conducting diplomatic greetings virtually from Windsor Castle since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the Daily Mail. It is also traditional for the family to observe two weeks of mourning after a death, and as that time period has passed, the Queen's not the only royal family member who has resumed official duties.
Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, visited a family-run farm on April 27, 2021 to learn how the pandemic has affected farmers in their country, as noted by Vanity Fair. After petting some of the farm animals, they meet with local farmers to discuss the unique challenges farmers have faced, including mental health and homeschooling issues. Later that afternoon, the royal couple visited the Cheesy Waffles Project, a local youth project supported by donations from the couple's Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund. The meeting comes two days before the couple's 10th wedding anniversary. They got married on April 29, 2011.