Queen Elizabeth is expected to return to work and conduct royal engagements when her two-week mourning period ends, despite feeling a huge void due to the death of her husband Prince Philip.
According to sources, Her Majesty is not going to slow down with her duties and the public could expect the queen to be fulfilling many commitments by the last week of April. However, she will have much support from the senior royals who will accompany her in royal engagements that require in-person royal meetings.
Expected to be frequently seen with Queen Elizabeth as she returns to work are her son and daughter-in-law, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, her grandchildren, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and her other children, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex.
Sources said that Queen Elizabeth might be used to conducting solo engagements since Philip has retired in 2017. Still, the senior royals will make every effort to prevent Her Majesty from descending into sadness.
Four days after her husband's death, the queen was at the retirement ceremony of Lord Chamberlain Earl Peel of the royal household.
Meanwhile, former royal family insider, Paul Burrell, believes that Queen Elizabeth will stay put in Windsor Castle and never return to Buckingham Palace. The royal expert said that the queen finds her official residence too busy and lacking in charm so while she will continue to make this her office, she will be calling Windsor Castle her official home from now on.
Burrell also thinks that Queen Elizabeth will be out and about to be with the people as soon as the lockdown has been lifted. The royal author said that retirement for the queen is out of the question as she will never abdicate.
Another source also told People that the sense of duty of Queen Elizabeth is so strong that it will see her going back to work as soon as possible. It would have been what her husband wanted as well since he will likely tell her to "crack on" her duties.
Amid the pandemic, the queen has been conducting engagements via Zoom but she did visit the Centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force in late March in person. It was her first solo engagement after her vaccination. In October 2020, she also visited a military laboratory with her grandson, Prince William, and she was the only person at Westminster Abbey in November during the Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Incidentally, Queen Elizabeth is turning 95 years old on April 21. It will be her first birthday without her husband but the royal family is expected to be by her side.
