Queen Elizabeth spent the eve of her Platinum Jubilee at a reception at Sandringham with members of the local community in Norfolk, England. As she chatted with her guests and cut a special cake, the Queen held on to a walking stick—which previously belonged to her late husband, Prince Philip. The Queen has been using a cane since October 2021 (before that, she hadn't walked with one publicly since 2003, when she was recovering from knee surgery); Prince Philip used his in 2013 after recovering from abdominal surgery.
"I recognized the stick instantly as it was always kept in a pot by the front door. It was the Duke's stick, and it is very touching that the Queen has started using it," Gyles Brandreth, author of Philip: The Final Portrait, told the Telegraph.
In her Platinum Jubilee message, which Queen Elizabeth used to say Camilla should be called Queen, she also wrote movingly of her late husband, who passed away in April of 2021 at the age of 99.
"I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family," she wrote. "I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father’s reign."
A Service of Thanksgiving is planned for Prince Philip on March 29, 2022 at Westminster Abbey. The Queen hopes to attend.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
