The moving ‘secret pact’ between Elizabeth II and Philip of Edinburgh

April 9 is approaching, and with it the first anniversary of Philip of Edinburgh’s death. And it is possible that on that sadly marked date Queen Elizabeth will remember the promise she made to her beloved husband shortly before she died. The promise was a hitherto secret pact between the two, according to the journalist from the Daily Mail Richard Kay, a great friend of Princess Diana: He who was left alone would observe a brief period of mourning and then fully enjoy the rest of his days. A pact that the monarch seems determined to respect, judging by what has been seen in the last twelve months.

At the memorial service for the late Duke of Edinburgh held at Westminster Abbey last Tuesday, Elizabeth appeared to be on the verge of tears. During the ceremony to remember her beloved husband almost a year after her death, the queen seemed to have red eyes from crying. But even in such an emotional situation she knew how to hold back her tears, attesting to her usual integrity. The same one that she has allowed her to face this last year full of problems without even being able to count on Felipe’s support. Despite contracting Covid, the sexual abuse scandal involving Andrés (apparently his favorite son) and the wound with Harry and Meghan Markle that has not yet healed (Harry, in fact, did not attend the mass), in the last twelve months his majesty has often been smiling, in a good mood and keeping intact the will to livedespite his 95 years and his ailments.

His attitude showed that he wants to maintain the pact that he apparently made in his day with Felipe, “a secret agreement in case one died before the other.” It was the Duke of Edinburgh’s idea, who a few months before his death reportedly made him promise the queen the following: “Whoever is left alive will be able to cry, but not for too long, so that they can enjoy the life that lies ahead.“. It may also be for this reason that Elizabeth III has not chosen to retire forever to the solitude of Windsor Castle and continues, as far as possible, attending public events and cultivating her hobbies. “The two talked often about how each one would react without having the other by their side and they came to the conclusion that the tears should not last too long in order to make way for life”.

A year ago, sitting alone in her pew at St George’s Chapel during her husband’s funeral (due to health restrictions), the queen seemed more vulnerable than ever. But within a few months she returned to work displaying her resilience, demonstrating “extraordinary resilience, as well as an unwavering sense of duty,” as Kay explains in the Daily Mail. The same strength and resistance that helped Isabel to assume the throne at just 25 years of age after the death of her father and that now guide her in this convulsive stage that coincides with the celebration of her 70-year reign.

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