Prince Philip's Thanksgiving Service: Queen's face etched with loneliness as she attends service with Prince Andrew

After making the difficult journey from Windsor Castle, she appeared, at times, to be both pained – and distracted – as senior members of the Royal family, with the notable exception of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, gathered to celebrate the Duke of Edinburgh’s remarkable life.

And there was also controversy – Prince Andrew was given the honour of escorting the Queen just weeks after he was compelled to pay out millions of pounds to settle a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the United States by Virginia Giuffre.

However the abbey’s historic intimacy also proved to be poignantly symbolic for the 95-year-old monarch who was undertaking her first major public appearance in nearly six months.

Westminster Abbey had been the setting for a dashing Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years, in 1947. It also provided the backdrop to the solemnity of the Queen’s coronation and countless Royal events in the subsequent seven decades, including the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

Yet this was the first occasion at the Abbey that the Queen had attended without Philip and his unique unfussiness which had such a source of strength for over 70 years.

And while she had the support of her close family – in contrast to Prince Philip’s funeral last April where the face-masked Queen grieved alone out of respect for Covid social distancing rules – this was still one of the loneliest and most arduous vigils of the monarch’s reign.

Most of the 1,800 guests had taken their place in the gothic abbey before senior royals began to arrive. They were greeted by Duke of Edinburgh gold award winners and sea cadets in acknowledgement of two of Prince Philip’s greatest passions – the empowerment of young people and the Royal Navy.

And the 99-year-old’s enduring influence was also self-evident as the Duke of Cambridge tenderly clasped the hand of Prince George as four generations of the Royal family came together – just 30 guests, by contrast, had been permitted to attend Philip’s funeral in Windsor.

It was the first time that George and his younger sister, Princess Charlotte, had attended a major church service – another nod to the occasion’s family and historic significance.

A ceremonial fanfare sounded to signal the arrival of the Queen who, like other senior female royals, was wearing Edinburgh Green in a gesture to Philip.

She entered via Poets Corner and held onto Prince Andrew’s elbow with her left hand as she moved gingerly to her seat while using a walking stick in her right hand. As the service began, the Prince of Wales leaned over as the Queen delved into her black Launer handbag for her glasses.

Meanwhile Andrew, who stepped down from public life over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, sat across the aisle, and largely out of public view, with his brother Prince Edward.

The Queen listened intently as the Dean of Windsor paid tribute to Philip’s intellect, work ethic, sense of humour and devotion to his family.

But she looked visibly moved as the service culminated with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem before leaving the abbey sedately, again with Andrew by her side, with both poise and dignity.

The Queen paused to thank Duke of Edinburgh gold award holder Doyin Sonibare who had delivered a special tribute about how Philip’s youth scheme had changed her life – and that of so many other young people. Ms Sonibare, 28, said: “She thanked me for my speech – she was lovely, really kind.”

It was an exchange which epitomised the Queen’s dutiful example – even on days of personal and physical pain – as she paid one last tribute to Prince Philip, her ‘strength and stay’, after the most difficult year of her reign to date.