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Heartbreaking detail in the Queen's social media change following Prince Philip’s funeral

The Duke of Edinburgh passed away on 9 April


the queen cenotaph© Photo: Getty Images
Matthew Moore
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
April 22, 2021
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Following the death of Prince Philip on Friday 9 April, the royal family's social media accounts swapped out their avatars for a black and white photo.

MORE: The Queen's sweet gesture for Prince Philip at Balmoral revealed

The main image, which was temporarily an image of the Queen's coat of arms, has now been replaced with a close-up photograph of Her Majesty during a visit to the headquarters of MI5 at Thames House in February 2020.

However, this change hides a heartbreaking detail, as the previous image featured the Queen with Prince Philip visible in the background.

WATCH: The Queen looks on during Prince Philip's funeral

Royal watchers noticed the detail, and shared their grief online. "Lovely picture, but a sad reason for change," wrote one, and a second added: "Very beautiful pic, very beautiful Queen, but... so sad, so sad".

The account is operated by members of the Queen's office and provides updates, pictures and videos from Buckingham Palace about the work and activities of the monarch and her family.

It has been a difficult period for the royal family. However, Wednesday marked Her Majesty's 95th birthday and she shared a heartfelt statement.

The Queen thanked the public for their kindness and support during this "period of great sadness", while the palace noted that she was spending the day in mourning at Windsor Castle.

Despite grieving, Her Majesty has also carried out a number of in-person engagements since the death of her husband of 73 years.

the queen twitter account

The Queen's new avatar is missing Prince Philip

One of those engagements included formally welcoming her new Lord Chamberlain Baron Parker to his post ahead of the Duke's funeral during a ceremony she hosted.

MORE: Heartbreaking moment Prince Harry is caught looking over at the Queen at Prince Philip's funeral

MORE: Mike Tindall shares his love for the Queen after leading an example at Prince Philip's funeral

Other royals have also started getting back to official duties, including Princess Anne who visited a series of hospitals in Gloucestershire on Wednesday.

The Princess Royal's first stop was to the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where she opened a new garden commemorating loved ones lost because of COVID-19.

Anne then visited the nearby Wotton Lawn Hospital to speak to healthcare professionals from Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Finally, she visited Cheltenham General Hospital to see hundreds of wire dandelions that have been placed on an open green space to mark those lost during the pandemic. Showing her respects, the 70-year-old also left her own dandelion during the visit.

the queen prince philip epsom derby

The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years

On Friday, Princess Eugenie made her first appearance following Prince Philip's funeral, joining the Survivor Alliance's third birthday virtual celebrations from her home in Frogmore Cottage.

Eugenie, who is the co-founder of The Anti-Slavery Collection, hosted an hour where she interviewed Survivor Alliance's executive director, Minh Dang.

Its mission is to unite and empower survivors of slavery and human trafficking around the world.

During their conversation, the Princess said: "I'm so incredibly proud for everything that's going on now... I have to say I'm thrilled to be asking questions and not be answering them right now."

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