The Queen Left a Heartbreaking Handwritten Note on Prince Philip's Coffin

• Another heartbreaking detail has emerged from Prince Philip's funeral (opens in new tab) service, which was held earlier today at St. George's Chapel in Windsor.
• The Queen wrote final note to her late husband and left it on his casket, where it could be seen throughout the service. She reportedly signed the handwritten note "Lilibet," which was a childhood nickname that fewer and fewer people called the monarch as the years went on. In fact, Prince Philip (opens in new tab) was believed to be the last person who still called her "Lilibet."
• The Palace, understandably, declined to comment on the note or its contents, which it described simply as "private."

The Queen (opens in new tab) made a sweet, final gesture of love for her late husband, Prince Philip.

On Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II (opens in new tab) mourned the loss of her husband of 73 years at a small, private funeral service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. The Queen sat alone at the service, in accordance with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, and found a way to honor the Duke of Edinburgh in a very personal way at the stripped down service.

As People (opens in new tab) reports, the Queen left a handwritten, final note for her late husband on top of his coffin, where it could be seen (although not clearly enough to read it) throughout the funeral service.

The Queen reportedly (opens in new tab) signed the note "Lilibet"—a childhood nickname that Philip was the last person to still use with her.

Understandably, the Palace declined to comment on the note or its contents, simply saying that it was "private."

The Queen has shared her love for Prince Philip and her grief over his death publicly via statements from the Palace and in posts on the official royal family social media channels. In a post shared last weekend, shortly after Philip's death, the Palace shared a touching 1997 quote from the Queen about her husband.

"He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know," she said (opens in new tab) in the quote, which was shared on Instagram along with a portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip that was taken by Annie Lebowitz in 2016.