The Queen has reflected on the “grief and loss felt by so many” as she marked the anniversary of the first Covid-19 coronvirus lockdown in England by sending flowers to the hospital where the Duke of Edinburgh had heart surgery.
The monarch paid tribute to the “immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year” in a message honouring the national day of reflection.
A bouquet of irises, tulips, mixed narcissi and ranunculus and the message were carried to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London from Windsor Castle, where the monarch and Philip have been staying during the pandemic.
The Queen is understood to have wanted to mark the day during which Covid-19 victims are being remembered across the nation with a minute’s silence at midday.
She chose St Barts to receive the flowers following the duke’s successful procedure and recent stay.
The Queen also wrote of how the nation was looking forward to a “brighter future together”.
The message read: “As we look forward to a brighter future together, today we pause to reflect on the grief and loss that continues to be felt by so many people and families, and pay tribute to the immeasurable service of those who have supported us all over the last year.”
The floral gift was handed to the hospital’s chief executive, consultant cardiologist Professor Charles Knight.
Philip, 99, and the Queen, who have been married for 73 years, were reunited at Windsor in Berkshire last week after the duke spent a month in hospital.
The duke had a successful procedure on his heart at St Bartholomew’s on March 3 – three months ahead of his 100th birthday in June. He was discharged on March 16.
Philip had been moved to the NHS hospital by ambulance, after initially being treated at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London and then returning there to recuperate after surgery.
