The Queen took a brief pause from her hectic Jubilee schedule on Friday to remember her mother and sister. She attended a thanksgiving service at St George’s Chapel flanked by senior members of the royal family including Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and Princess Anne.
The ceremony marks the tenth anniversary of the deaths of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.Both died within weeks of one another in 2002, and the sovereign was by her mother's side as she passed away peacefully at the grand age of 101.Notable by their absence were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who are on a skiing holiday.Also missing were Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn, who has just given birth to the couple's second child.
One of the Queen's other grandchildren, Harry greeted members of Margaret's family with kisses.During the ceremony, the Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner, said both women had "significantly enriched" the lives of those present. "Each of us here this morning will cherish some special personal memories," he said. "Rightly such memories should be harboured securely and discreetly in our own hearts and minds. "But there are also common themes in our remembering which should be shared openly. Most surely amongst them will be the faithfulness that characterised the lives of both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret - faithfulness to family and friends, faithfulness to the nation and Commonwealth."The Queen: A royal life in pictures
