The Queen wore a face mask in public for the first time this week as she made a deeply personal visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey
Her Majesty, 94, bowed her head to honor all who were killed while serving their country as a floral tribute inspired by her bridal bouquet was placed on the grave
It was the idea of the monarch to organize a small private service to mark the centenary of the burial of the unidentified British soldier in the presence of his grandfather George V and his father, the future King George VI , November 11, 1920
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will attend a reduced service to mark the anniversary this week, but the Queen will not join them on the advice of her medical team
The queen inspects a bouquet of flowers to be placed on the tomb of the unknown warrior
Instead, on the eve of England’s second national lockdown, she was driven from Windsor to Buckingham Palace, where the royal standard flew briefly to mark her first visit to her official London residence since March
Dressed in a black coat, hat and gloves, the Jardine Star brooch pinned beneath her poppy, and a black mask trimmed in white, believed to have been designed by Angela Kelly, she then arrived at the Abbey with just his squire, Lieutenant-Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah
Inside, she stood in front of the Belgian black marble headstone lined with poppies in the building’s west nave while the Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Right Reverend Dr David Hoyle, led the prayers
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The dean of Westminster Abbey, David Hoyle, watches the queen’s squire, Lieutenant-Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, lays a bouquet of flowers on the grave
The Queen then moved to view a bouquet of white and lilac orchids, myrtle and greenery, created by a palace florist to mirror the one she wore on her wedding day, touching them briefly before that his squire does not kneel to place them on the tomb
After a moment of silent reflection and further prayers, Piper to Sovereign Richard Grisdale performed a Forest Flowers lament from the organ attic above her head
The Queen’s poignant gesture echoes that of her mother, who, under the name Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, placed her own bridal bouquet in the same spot upon entering the abbey to marry the future king George VI, the queen’s father, in 1923
The Queen Mother’s moving tribute was paid in memory of her brother Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died at the age of 26 at the Battle of Loos in 1915
And this has inspired generations of royal brides to leave their own bouquets placed on the grave – usually a day after marriage
This week marks the centenary of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior as well as the Cenotaph, which was unveiled by George V during the funeral procession of the Unknown Soldier on Armistice Day 1920
His remains were brought back from WWI battlefields in northern France and buried in the abbey, where thousands marched to pay homage
It became a moment of collective mourning for the nation and a moment the Queen was determined to commemorate
A royal source said: “The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is as relevant and poignant today as it was when His Majesty’s grandfather and father stood in the abbey beside him there. 100 years ago It has enormous importance for the country and the royal family
« The Queen wanted the centenary to be properly marked. A simple but deeply personal act reflecting a tradition her mother started 97 years ago felt the right thing to do »
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Queen Elizabeth II, the Unknown Warrior, the British Royal Family, Westminster Abbey, the Mask
World News – AU – Queen seen wearing face mask for first time at Westminster Abbey
