Queen Elizabeth sits alone at the funeral of Prince Philip

After 73 years of marriage and a love affair that the wife often saw next to her or two steps behind, the British monarch cut down a lone figure as the coffin entered the scene. She seemed vulnerable to many – perhaps for the first time in a long reign that often saw her as a pillar of power in the country during countless crises and periods of darkness.

On social media, many said they were heartbroken and deeply saddened by the scenes of the monarch sitting alone during funeral, while others said the images hinted at her strength of character – as women, wives and queens.

The image of a family forced to come together as a small group to say goodbye to a loved one is a shared experience in the brutality of a coronavirus pandemic: Millions of families around the world have had to honor their loved ones according to strict rules and regulations designed to separate people.

“A reminder of how this pandemic has changed our whole lives. The queen sits alone, with a mask on, while saying goodbye to her strength and staying for so much of her life, ”read one tweet, while others hailed the monarch’s courage in the face of grief.

The term “seeing the queen” on Saturday was popular in the UK as many wrote about their feelings when they saw her majesty grieving and isolated as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions. “Seeing the Queen sitting alone, head down, is just heartbreaking,” tweeted journalist Dan Whitehead.

“I guess most of the country today thinks of the queen,” one self-proclaimed royalist told the Washington Post in front of Buckingham Palace on Saturday.

As the funeral ended, some observers said they had never seen the queen, who usually dresses so vividly, looks so dark and depressed.

For Saturday service, the monarch wore all black – including a dark face covering and black gloves. Her mournful attire was a stark contrast to the usual attire in which the audience was accustomed to seeing. The queen, considered by some to be an icon of style, often wears colors like powdery blue, light green and light yellow.