It’s a touching tribute to her late husband
The Queen is well known for her brightly coloured wardrobe and special on-screen outfits. But this week, it’s one particular accessory that is getting all the attention.
Her Majesty, 95, has been pictured using her late husband’s walking stick during a tea party at her Sandringham estate.
The distinctive stick has a carved handle made from horn. Though she mostly walked around the ballroom unaided, the Queen carried the stick as she greeted guests.
The event marked the Queen’s first public engagement for more than three months and welcomed estate workers, volunteers and members of the local Women’s Institute to celebrate the start of her Platinum Jubilee.
According to the Daily Mail, Her Majesty is thought to have taken to using the stick during her stay at Wood Farm, the cottage on the Sandringham estate where the Duke spent his retirement.
It was author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth that first spotted that the Queen was using the Duke of Edinburgh's favourite walking stick.
He told The Telegraph: "I recognised the stick instantly as it was always kept in a pot by the front door. It was the Duke's stick and it is very touching that the Queen has started using it."
That particular walking stick was last photographed in 2013. Prince Philip had recently undergone abdominal surgery, and used it while visiting a nature reserve. According to Palace aides, the Duke needed the stick because the Dersingham Bogs were particularly muddy.
Prince Philip passed away last April aged 99, after the couple had been married for 73 years. The Queen touched on the subject of her grief in a moving Christmas Day broadcast and in letters she has sent to royal fans.
As she continues to make sweet nods to her late husband, the Queen no doubt provides comfort to others who are also dealing with loss.
