Queen touched by tributes to husband as she marks 95th birthday

LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth said she had been deeply touched by the tributes paid to her husband Prince Philip, in her first public remarks since his death earlier this month and as she marks her first birthday without him in 73 years. Prince Philip, whom Elizabeth married in 1947, died on April 9 aged 99 and the royals paid their final respects to the family’s patriarch at a funeral on Saturday at Windsor Castle. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the queen sat alone during the sombre service for Philip, whom she had previously described as her “strength and stay” during her long reign. “While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world,” Elizabeth, the world’s oldest monarch who has turned 95, said in a statement. “My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life. The queen, who is also the world’s longest-reigning monarch, will be at Windsor Castle for her birthday, which traditionally passes off with little or no ceremony. As the royals are marking two weeks of mourning, it will be even more low key, with no gun salutes at the Tower of London or the capital’s Hyde Park. The queen has an official birthday which is usually celebrated with greater pomp on the second Saturday in June. — Reuters