Queen Elizabeth II has made her first official engagement at Windsor Castle, outside London, since the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, on Friday, according to royal records.
The 94-year-old sovereign presided over a ceremony in Windsor with Earl William Peel, who has just retired as Lord Chamberlain, the highest official in the royal house and whose office organizes state visits and royal weddings and is the main channel of communication between the queen and the House of Lords.
During that ceremony, Elizabeth II van Peel received the personnel and insignia corresponding to the Lord Chamberlain, which will now be passed on to the new person in charge of that position, Andrew Parker, former Director of the British Secret Services (internal) MI5 .
Earl Peel had announced his retirement last year, while Parker had started working as Lord Chamberlain a week before Prince Philip’s death.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who had been hospitalized for several weeks last March, died in Windsor at the age of 99.
The ceremony chaired by the Queen took place on Tuesday and is included today in the court’s circular appeal, which specifies the events chaired by the head of state.
The royal family mourns for two weeks and prepares for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, which will take place next Saturday – Day 17 – at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.