Royalty (2020-21): Duke of Edinburgh

10/6/1921 - 9/4/2021:

The Queen has been an extremely influential person in all of our lives throughout COVID.

Despite worries herself because of her vulnerability, she still managed to stay extremely strong, frequently participating in Zoom meetings and speeches, encouraging all of us to support each other through this extremely difficult and emotional time.

Prince William and Kate also dived head first into the ‘trends’ of lockdown. Kate said she was their own personal home hairdresser! Their children also had to attend remote learning school and William and Kate both openly admitted their lack in knowledge of Year 2 Maths! So, even though they are the most famous family in the country, they still had to abide by the rules. They made lockdown just that little bit more fun for all of us and helped bring smiles to the nation’s faces when we needed it most. Here you can see the Cambridge family clapping to say thanks to the NHS!!

The Duke’s COVID funeral:

The Duke died on Friday 9th April 2021, and his funeral was held just over a week later, on Saturday 17th April. He was 99 at the time and just two months away from his 100th birthday. The event was held within the grounds of Windsor Castle to avoid crowds, but was televised to the nation.

The funeral took place during stage two of the third national lockdown, meaning it had to be socially distanced and was only attended by 30 people.

The Queen was forced to sit alone during the service. It was the first time really that the nation saw the Queen’s emotions. It was followed by a memorial service with the Royal Marines. This was really lovely, but emotional to watch.