Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has held her first in-person engagement since the death of her husband, Prince Philip, last Friday.
The 94-year-old monarch hosted a ceremony on Tuesday within the confines of Windsor Castle for Earl Peel, who recently left his post as Lord Chamberlain.
The Lord Chamberlain’s Office orchestrates the Queen’s program of ceremonial events, including everything from garden parties and state visits to royal weddings and the state opening of Parliament.
The engagement was recorded in the Court Circular – a list of daily engagements and events conducted by the royal family.
“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,” it read.
The monarch had previously held a telephone call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday morning.
The Court Circular also revealed that Princess Anne joined a video call Tuesday for the Spring Conference of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, of which she is patron. Anne is the Queen and Prince Philip’s only daughter.
The royal family have been observing a two-week period of mourning since Friday, when it was announced that the Duke of Edinburgh had passed away peacefully at the age of 99.
Final preparations are underway for his funeral on Saturday at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The event will be a more muted occasion than previous royal funerals as it has been adapted in light of coronavirus restrictions, but it will be in line with Prince Philip’s personal wishes, Buckingham Palace has said.
Arrangements have been made to remove the elements that would breached current pandemic measures. Current Covid-19 rules in England limit the number of people who can attend funerals to 30.