THE Queen will not be left to “walk alone” following Prince Philip’s death.
Senior royals will ensure they are by her side at future public engagements after losing her husband of 73 years “left a huge void”, sources say.
Read our live blog for the very latest news on Prince Philip’s death…
Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton will accompany her once the two weeks of official mourning ends on April 22.
Prince Edward and Princess Anne will also join the monarch as she gets back to work following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death aged 99 on Friday.
One source told the Daily Mail: “The Duke of Edinburgh is irreplaceable and the Queen’s dedication to duty is undiminished.
“But senior officials and members of the family have long had an eye on ensuring she is more supported in the future and it seems sensible to start employing this now.”
Another said: “If one parent dies the children – and in this case, grandchildren – all step up and fill in in different ways.
“No single individual could ever take place of the Duke of Edinburgh, but just maybe all of them coming together will fill some of the space he has left behind.”
A third source claimed: “The long-term planning has long been that she should have a member of the Royal Family with her as well whenever possible or appropriate. It’s a question now of bringing that forward slightly.
“If you look back at the pandemic, much of the work of the Royal Family has already been led by Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William and Catherine.
“It is very practical way of supporting the Queen. Her Majesty really values that and doesn’t take it for granted. That will continue.
“But we will see senior family members take up more investitures and some of the more physically burdensome duties the Queen has, as well as going out and about with her when she leaves a royal residence.”
The Queen is set to return to work after Philip’s funeral and will oversee the state opening of Parliament next month, it emerged today.
Sources said the hardworking monarch still plans to attend the ceremonial event and deliver her annual Queen’s Speech to MPs on May 11, accompanied by her son Charles.
She has overseen almost every single opening of Parliament since taking the throne in 1952, except on two occasions.
She missed the event in 1959 and again in 1963, when she was pregnant with Andrew and then Edward.
The duke accompanied her to all of them before his retirement from public duty in 2018 except once, a year earlier, when he was in hospital.
Today, a well-placed Westminster source said the Queen plans to conduct the ceremony as planned, according to MailOnline.
They said: “She is still coming, with Charles.”
A source, who worked at a senior level in the Royal Household, said there was a “real difference” between engagements the Queen attended on her own compared to when accompanied by Philip.
They said: “When he was around, she was always so much more happier and relaxed. There was a real sparkle about her.
“Because they had an old-fashioned kind of relationship, it was easy to project or assume what it would be like. But it wasn’t cold at all.
“They had such a tenderness and love and respect for one other. His passing is a huge, huge loss.
“So it makes perfect sense that other members of her immediate family move into that role.”
Reports of close family members rallying around Her Majesty come after her grandsons paid tribute to their “Grandpa”.
Prince Harry paid tribute to “witty” Philip – remembering the duke as the “master of the barbecue and legend of banter”.
Harry, who last night returned to the UK from his home in the US, said the Duke of Edinburgh was “cheeky ’til the end”.
The Duke of Sussex, who is currently staying at Frogmore Cottage, said his grandfather had been “authentically himself” throughout his more than 70 years of service to the nation.
And he thanked the dedicated royal for being a “rock” to his grandmother the Queen – just minutes after his brother William also paid tribute.
The Duke of Cambridge today hailed “extraordinary” Philip – saying his children will miss their “mischievous” great-grandfather.
He shared a sweet photograph of his son George with Philip – snapped by Kate – thanking his grandfather for his “infectious sense of adventure”.
In the emotional statement, William, 38, said he was thankful for Philip guiding him “good times and the hardest days”.
He added: “I know he would want us to get on with the job.”
