A year has passed since the Duke of Edinburgh passed away. On April 9, 2021, England accompanied Queen Elizabeth on one of her most complicated days, when she had to say goodbye forever to her life partner for more than 70 years. It was only two months before Prince Philip celebrated his centenary, but fate wanted him to die before then. His health had been delicate for a while, he was even retired from official life, although he did show up on different dates set for the Crown.
According to him daily mail before his death, the marriage was made a promise. An unknown pact until now. The tabloid has revealed this secret: “Whoever is left alive will be able to cry, but not for too long, so that they can enjoy the life ahead of them.” And it seems that the sovereign is fulfilling it to the letter, judging by her public appearances during this first year of widowhood.
Despite living his duel, the controversies that have surrounded some of the members of the British royal family have made these twelve months somewhat convulsive, especially for the monarchwho has continued at the foot of the canyon despite the sadness and health ailments he has had. But among so much scandal there have also been moments of joy such as the birth of two new babies, little Lilibet, daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Sienna Mapelli, the first daughter of Beatrice of York. Some great-granddaughters who would undoubtedly have filled the duke with happiness, who acted as proud great-grandfather with the smallest of the house.
Despite the numerous members of the royal family, the protagonists of this year without the Duke have had their own names: the queen herself, Prince Charles, the Duke of York and the Dukes of Sussex. So the British media affirm that it is the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who have borne the burden of cleaning up the image of the Crown.
The queen, one year after saying goodbye to the Duke of Edinburgh
It has been a difficult year for Queen Elizabeth. The goodbye to her husband was sad. They could not fire him with all the honors because the health situation was still worrying and the recommendations were strict. Hence the official funeral was a purely family act that forced Harry to fly alone from Los Angelessince Meghan was in the last trimester of pregnancy and she was not allowed to take a plane.
The sovereign resumed her agenda only a few months after being widowed. She continued to show the strength that has always characterized her since she took the throne at just 25 years old. Precisely this year she celebrates her platinum jubilee and she does it without the best partner she could have, her husband. Days after serving 70 years on the throne, the British Royal House announced the sovereign’s positive for covid. She had mild symptoms, similar to those of a cold, which kept her in the palace under permanent medical surveillance.
Weeks before, he had taken a step forward as far as the different family controversies are concerned. He withdrew the last privileges from the Dukes of Sussex two years after Megxit, and did the same with Prince Andrew whom he stripped of his military titles, as well as his sponsorships. Movements with which he wanted to distance himself from the two headaches that have marked this last year of his life.
Prince Andrew, haunted by scandals
Four months after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh came the problems for Prince Andrew. Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit in New York against the Duke of York, accusing him of having abused her as a minor. Some alleged sexual abuse committed through the financier’s sex trafficking network when she was only 16 years old. In the complaint, Giuffre stated that the abuse occurred in the London house of Ghislaine Maxwell, in charge of capturing the girls, as well as in Epstein’s own mansion in New York and in Little St. James, the millionaire’s private island located in the Virgin Islands.
Andrés tried to deny everything, even offering an interview in which he did nothing but throw more dirt on himself. His lawyers filed an appeal to avoid going to trial, but the magistrate dismissed it. While he defended his innocence, his mother, his brother Carlos and Prince William turned their backs on him. Only his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and her daughters stayed by his side, showing him their unconditional support. both in public and in private.
When it seemed that the pre-trial hearing would be held on March 10, Prince Andrew’s legal representatives announced that an out-of-court settlement had been reached between the prince and the alleged victim. 14 million euros (just over 12 million pounds) was the amount that ended the scandal. The son of the Duke of Edinburgh promised to pay the amount to Giuffre and the NGO created by her for the defense of victims of sexual abuse. An amount that, according to the English press, would help pay the sovereign herself.
The Dukes of Sussex, neither with you nor without you
Prince Philip of Edinburgh passed away almost a month after Harry and Meghan’s epic interview with Oprah Winfrey. An appearance on television that was a scandal for the entire royal family due to the harsh accusations made by the couple. Even so, When he learned of the death of his grandfather, the youngest son of Charles of England flew to his native country to join his family in one of the most difficult times for them. The staging of the funeral entourage was quite a poem. His father’s and his older brother’s relationship with him was very strained, and the distance between them was palpable at all times.
In early June, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the birth of their second daughter.. A girl who was named Lilibet Diana in honor of the Queen of England and Lady Di. Ten months later, she still does not know her father’s native country or the rest of her paternal family. Only through video call. And things are not looking good.
Harry a few months ago He challenged the English government due to his concern to guarantee the safety of his family, including his own. Apparently, the security team that watches over them in the United States, and who they pay out of their own pocket, has no jurisprudence in England. In such a way that, in case of stepping on English soil, they would be unprotected. The response from the Home Office has been a resounding “no”, so his momentary return to London is still up in the air.
The marriage has been a real headache for the queen. Added to all these problems was the information given by the daily mail at the beginning of the year, which stated that the couple had created 11 companies located in Delaware -considered the quintessential American tax haven-.
Carlos and Camilla, on the way to the throne
On February 6, the day Elizabeth II celebrated her 7 decades as queen, she took the opportunity to make an announcement that left no one indifferent. In her speech, The monarch communicated her desire that the Duchess of Cornwall be queen consort and not princess when Carlos ascends the throne. Something that will happen, God willing, on the day of the coronation of the current heir. From that moment the English press began to speculate on the future of the British Royal Family. The British have always opted for the younger royal generation, in this case William and Kate, but that desire does not coincide with that of the queen who is clear that the line of succession will continue.
The other side of the coin came from Scotland Yard which, in mid-February, issued a letter announcing an investigation they were carrying out, which featured the Prince of Wales and his foundation for the alleged irregularities committed in the granting of honorary titlesin exchange for succulent donations.