The Queen enjoyed lockdown chats with Sophie, Countess of Wessex from castle balcony
Many families kept in touch one another during lockdown with socially-distanced conversations in the front garden – and, in what seems to be the royal equivalent, the Queen conducted chats from her balcony at Windsor Castle.
According to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, 56, she and her husband Prince Edward, 57, were forced to "shout" at the 95-year-old monarch and the late Duke of Edinburgh, before his death aged 99 in April, when pandemic restrictions limited their regular visits.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the royal mother-of-two explained: "We used to see them stand on the balcony, which was about 20 feet up in the air.
"We’d see them waving. We’d shout at them and they’d shout back at us. It always seemed to be windy, so we could barely hear each other.”
The couple – who are parents to 17-year-old daughter Lady Louise Windsor and 13-year-old son James, Viscount Severn – live a short drive away from Windsor at Bagshot Park in Surrey.
Prince Edward, who is Her Majesty's youngest child, said that lockdown has been "staggeringly difficult" for her because "life is so much about contact, it’s so much about people".
The monarch spent most of the pandemic living at her Berkshire home, with brief trips to her Scottish home Balmoral and Norfolk home of Sandringham.
She has only recently returned to in-person public engagements.
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Last month, the Queen paid tribute to her husband of 73 years while wearing a bright red ensemble to visit the HM Naval Base in Portsmouth.
In a sweet gesture, she accessorised with her beloved 'scarab' brooch – a personal gift from her late other half.
The Duke of Edinburgh – who was, fittingly, a Royal Navy veteran – gave the beautiful gold piece to the Queen in 1966.
Her Majesty has worn the brooch numerous times over the years, including for their 70th wedding anniversary portrait in 2017 and for the 50th anniversary of her first Christmas broadcast in 2007.
It was designed by jeweller Andrew Grima, and features ruby and diamond embellishments.
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