When the late Queen Elizabeth sat alone at her beloved husband Prince Philip's funeral last year, many shared their heartbreak and admiration for the late monarch's strength. The longest reigning sovereign famously called the Duke of Edinburgh her "constant strength and guide" and in the 15 months she remained monarch following his death at the age of 99, the Queen's health gradually declined.
One royal expert has claimed that the Queen 'knew' she wouldn't be long in re-joining Prince Philip after his death, as the late monarch instructed officials not to move the Duke of Edinburgh's coffin from the Royal Vault in Windsor Castle.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here
Speaking on True Royalty TV's the Royal Beat, royal expert Katie Nicholl says the Queen always wanted to be buried at the same time as her beloved husband Prince Philip.
The Vanity Fair royal correspondent said: "What was interesting about the internment of [Prince] Philip under the Royal Vault - I was told that the Queen instructed them not to move [his coffin from the Royal Vault into the memorial chapel, where they are both now buried] because she knew that she wouldn’t be long after and she wanted them to go together."
The revelation comes after the Queen's state funeral on Monday, which saw hundreds and thousands of well-wishers flock to London to pay their respects.
The historic procession saw the Queen's coffin travel from Westminster Abbey to St. George's Chapel in Windsor, where she was temporarily lowered into the Royal Vault before being laid to rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, with Prince Philip at her side.
The Queen's mother and father are also buried in the same chapel, where close royal family members attended a private burial service for the late monarch on Monday evening, following the state funeral.
Katie Nicholl's comments on the show come after an excerpt from her new book 'The New Royals', was released earlier this week in Vanity Fair.
In the book, which discusses the next generation of the Royal Family, the author claims that the Queen was was "exhausted" by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to depart from royal life.
Nichols claims that the late Queen Elizabeth II confided to a close friend that the tensions had put a strain on her.
The source said: "She was very hurt and told me, 'I don’t know, I don't care, and I don’t want to think about it anymore."
The royal expert's book also claims that the Queen saw very little of her great-grandchildren Archie and Lilibet.
This episode of The Royal Beat will be available from 23 September on True Royalty TV
