THE Duke of Edinburgh’s life and legacy were remembered during a funeral service reflecting his naval career, passion for engineering and dedication to the Queen.

During the poignant event attended by Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip’s children and grandchildren, the Duke was described as enriching the lives of all those he knew with his “kindness, humour and humanity”.

Symbolic of her devastating loss, the Queen sat alone, separated from her family in the age of a pandemic, as she paid a heart-breaking farewell to the man she relied upon above all others.

The nation’s longest reigning monarch, four days from her 95th birthday, was clad in mourning black, without her loyal consort the Duke of Edinburgh at her side as she said her last goodbye to him following a lifetime together.

As the Queen first took her seat in the ancient carved wooden stalls of St George’s Chapel, she was entirely alone on the south side of quire, while the other members of her family due to be seated in her row were walking in the procession.

Yet even when they arrived, coronavirus rules dictated the space next to the monarch – usually occupied by Philip – must remain empty, and the one next to it also.

Now the Queen, still head of state and five years from her own century, as duty dictates will have to endure the remainder of her reign without her “strength and stay”.