Buckingham Palace Just Denied A Rumor About Queen Elizabeth's Grief Over Prince Philip's Death
Queen Elizabeth lost her husband, Prince Philip, back in April 2021. Philip died after he had been in declining health, spending one month in the hospital and undergoing a heart procedure, BBC News reported. Further details about what kind of surgery the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh underwent have never been made available, but he was discharged in March, and spent the last few weeks of his life at Windsor Castle with his wife of 73 years. Following Philip's death, the queen had a two-week period of mourning, and was back to work by the end of April, according to ABC News.
The queen had her husband by her side through the highs and lows of life, and it's undoubtedly very different going on without him. In fact, in various appearances, the queen has talked about her husband, proving that he is never far from her mind. For example, during a virtual speech at the COP26 summit on November 1, the queen mentioned Philip. "It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William," she said, according to USA Today.
Royal watchers all over the globe have been keeping a close eye on the queen, trying to pick up on any little nod to Philip that she may be expressing. However, the palace has spoken out about one in particular. Keep reading to find out more.
The meaning behind Queen Elizabeth's brooch isn't what you might think
Back in early October, the Daily Mail reported that Queen Elizabeth stepped out wearing a floral brooch on her coat that may have been her way of keeping Prince Philip close to her heart. The brooch, you see, was a gift that the queen received when she and Philip got married. And while that may have been the case then, Buckingham Palace is setting the record straight on another brooch that the queen was spotted wearing.
During her virtual appearance at the COP26 summit, the queen wore a butterfly brooch on her green top. According to People magazine, some people believed that the brooch was meant to symbolize a sort of "rebirth" that the queen was experiencing some seven months after losing her husband. However, Buckingham Palace denied that meaning. The queen did not intend to wear the butterfly to symbolize that she herself was transforming in any way, the palace confirmed.
However, the brooch did indeed have a special tie to Philip. Not unlike the brooch she wore in October, this one was also a wedding gift. The pretty jewel was given to the queen by the Countess of Onslow, People confirms. You may have noticed that there's also a photo of Philip surrounded by butterflies resting on a table behind the queen in the photo above. The symbolism is simply that the queen adored her husband — and still does.