Queen Elizabeth Spotted For The First Time Since Prince Philip's Death, Matriarch Takes Her Corgis For A Walk At Frogmore Gardens
April 16 2021, Published 3:07 p.m. ET
Just one week after Prince Philip passed away, Queen Elizabeth has been spotted for the first time.
According to PEOPLE, the 94-year-old drove from Windsor Castle to Frogmore Gardens on Friday, April 16, to walk her dogs — the first time she has been seen since Philip died on April 9 at 99 years old.
The Queen has owned corgis since she was 18 years old, and when Philip was in the hospital for 28 days, she added two new pups to her brood.
One is called Muick — pronounced Mick — and he's named after Loch Muick, one of her most cherished places on the 94-year-old's Balmoral estate in Scotland, while the other is Fergus, who was named after Fergus Bowes-Lyon, her uncle who died in World War I in France in 1915.
“The Queen is delighted. It’s unthinkable that the Queen wouldn’t have any corgis,” an insider said at the time about her new additions.
“It’s like the Tower of London not having any ravens. They have only been there a couple of weeks but are said to be adorable and made the castle their home. Both are said to be bringing in a lot of noise and energy into the castle while Prince Philip is in hospital.”
While other members of the royal family have paid tribute to Prince Philip, the Queen has remained quiet.
However, she released her first solo statement on Friday, April 16. "I have been saddened by the destruction and major disruption caused by volcanic eruptions in recent days, and my thoughts are with the many people and families who have been evacuated from their homes, and whose livelihoods have been affected," she said, referring to the recent disaster in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. "I send my thanks to the emergency services and all those involved in the relief effort."
She continued, "My prayers will remain with the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines at this very difficult time."
During this difficult time, the Queen has been keeping busy — and she even returned to her royal duties four days after Philip's death.
"Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on," a former royal aide revealed. "She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on. She did do so when he retired from public life."
"She will never abdicate because of duty and honor and public service is so deep in her, as it was for him," another royal insider added.
