Princess Anne has reflected on a heartbreaking photo of the late Queen sitting alone at her beloved Prince’s Philip’s funeral.
Two years ago, a service was held for the former Duke of Edinburgh after he passed away aged 99.
Due to Covid restrictions, Elizabeth II had to sit on her own because she didn’t have anyone in her household bubble from the 30 guests.
As a result, she was pictured all by herself just prior to her husband's coffin being lowered into the royal vault.
In a new interview with Canadian public broadcaster CBC, the Princess Royal revealed her thoughts on the picture, which touched hearts across the nation.
Anne said: "In some ways, I'm glad we didn't see that at that moment. When you see the photograph, it is much worse somehow.
"And you saw more of that than we did accompanying the coffin."
Asked whether Covid "stole" from her, she added: "In some respects, I tend to think it stole a bit from my father, who lost a lot of the people who would have gone to see him and talked to him and had those conversations that kept him interested.
"He lost all of that. I'm sure there are lots of families that would tell you the same thing, for the older generation, losing those contacts... online didn't do it for everybody."
The Royal Family has gone through a lot of changes in recent years, with the deaths of both the Queen and Prince Philip, the decision taken by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to quit as working royals, and Prince Andrew stepping down from public life.
Anne was also asked if there are "conversations about relevance", and she replied: "There will be, everywhere. It's not a conversation that I would necessarily have.
"I think it's perfectly true that it is a moment where you need to have that discussion.
"But I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite hard to come by any other way."
The princess was asked how the royal family deals with recent polling which suggested a drop in the percentage of people who want to see the monarchy continue.
"Well, we don't in many respects need to deal with it, not least of all because it is the monarch that is the key to this, and the constitution that underpins the monarchy," she said.
"We as a family see ourselves there to support that role. What we do, we hope, contributes to the monarchy and the way in which it can convey continuity, of not just interest, but of service, of understanding, the way that people in communities want to live their lives.
"And I think so often we get the chance to see communities and the people who do things really well and are very generous with their time in a way that, if you look at the media, you tend not to get that impression," she said.
Speaking about what kind of King her brother will be, Anne said: "Well, you know what you're getting, because he's been practising for a bit, and I don't think he'll change.
"He is committed to his own level of service. That will remain true."
It was put to the princess that she does not seem worried about the health or the longevity of the monarchy, and she replied: "I think you're putting words into my mouth, as they say."
She said she believes there is "genuine benefit from this particular arrangement, the constitutional monarchy, and I think it has good long-term benefits", adding: "And that commitment to long term is what the monarchy stands for."
