Queen Elizabeth is celebrates her 95th birthday, her first birthday in more than 70 years without her husband Prince Philip by her side.
The queen, who is spends her birthday at Windsor Castle, issued a very personal statement on her birthday, describing a “period of great sadness” for her family.
“I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate, Queen Elizabeth said in the statement. “While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days,” she said. “We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
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HM was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in London, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York.
Philip’s death at the age of 99, and his funeral on Saturday, mark the end of an era for the royal institution and a new normal moving forward for Queen Elizabeth and her family.
The queen had described Philip, her husband of 73 years, as her “strength and stay.”
