The Queen has poignantly reached her first wedding anniversary without her late husband Prince Philip.

The difficult milestone, seven months after the Duke of Edinburgh died at the age of 99, would have seen the royal couple celebrate 74 years of marriage.

It comes during a particularly difficult time for the Queen, who this time last month was admitted to hospital overnight for preliminary investigations and ordered by her royal doctors to rest.

The 95-year-old, who also sprained her back and pulled out of attending the Remembrance Sunday service, has only been carrying out light duties since then.

Princess Elizabeth married the dashing Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey on November 20 1947.

Their enduring relationship lasted the longest of any British sovereign and Philip was at the Queen’s side throughout the decades, supporting her as she devoted herself to her role as head of state.

On their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, the Queen said Philip ‘has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years’.

Following his death in April, the Queen said she and her family were in a ‘period of great sadness’, but that she was comforted by the tributes paid to him.

‘We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life,’ she said.

Philip’s funeral was held during coronavirus restrictions with the numbers strictly limited and the final farewell taking place entirely within the confines of Windsor Castle.

The Queen was sat alone – socially distanced from her family – as she mourned.

In the days after the duke’s death, the Palace released a picture from the royal family’s private photo albums of the Queen and Philip relaxing together, sitting on the grass at the Coyles of Muick, a beauty spot on the Balmoral estate.

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