The monarch, 95, rallied to make an appearance and lead her family to the high profile and personally important event in honor of Philip’s husband. She made the final decision on Tuesday morning, hours before she was due to travel from Windsor Castle in central London, having decided to be at Westminster Abbey if her mobility allowed. A palace spokesman said: “The queen intends to attend the service this morning.” While plans may change before the start of the service at 11.30 am, preparations will be in full swing for the monarch’s appearance. Relatives, friends, colleagues and representatives of the duke’s charities are gathering to pay tribute to the man whose funeral was attended by only 30 of his loved ones at his funeral last April. Special arrangements have been made for the Queen’s comfort, with service limited to 40 minutes and the monarch sitting in one of Canada’s chairs, but with an extra cushion. The difficulty for the queen was understood to be whether the monarch could walk to her place. BBC cameras are likely to avoid filming the monarch as it passes through the back of the Abbey via the Poets’ Corner – a shorter route to its Lantern location. Traditionally, the Queen used to reach the Great Western Gate and walk along the entire length of the church, through the Temple and the Queer. In October, when he attended the Royal Legion’s centennial ceremony using a cane, he arrived at Poets ‘Yard, entering through the Poets’ Corner. The monarch has only attended a major public event since health concerns were raised in October, when he spent a night in hospital undergoing tests and doctors ordered him to rest. On February 5, on the eve of her platinum jubilee, she hosted a reception at her private residence in Norfolk, Sandringham House, for local charities, former estate executives and fellow members of the Women’s Institute. Tuesday’s service will be the Queen’s first major formal engagement outside one of her homes in five and a half months, since she traveled to Cardiff to deliver a speech at the Welsh Senate on October 14.
