Following Queen Elizabeth II‘s death, several changes occurred in Britain’s royal family. The most notable is that her eldest son became King Charles III. He then gave his oldest son and daughter-in-law the Prince and Princess of Wales title. The king also bestowed the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh titles on his brother, Prince Edward, and sister-in-law, Sophie.
But the family has been affected in more ways than just title changes as they lost their matriarch on Sept. 8, 2022. Now, someone who used to work for the late monarch and a couple of other family members is revealing which royal has been affected the most by the queen’s passing.
Here’s more on that and how the family will likely mark the second anniversary of her death.
Former Palace employee says this royal was affected the most by the queen’s death
Paul Burrell began working for the royal family when he was 18 years old and served as Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. In 1987, he was moved to the household of then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana. When they separated, Burrell served as Diana’s butler until her death.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, Burrell said: “[The queen’s death] affected Anne greatly being the only daughter, and she’s carrying her mother’s mantle in many ways, very stoic, hard-working, dedicated to the country.
“Anne is the best queen we never had because she is very much like Prince Philip. Obviously had his mannerisms and his ways, but she has her mother’s heart, and that’s why she works so hard and doesn’t ask for anything in return, because that’s her job, and she understands it.”
Many people who watched Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral agreed with Burrell. Some even took to social media to say their hearts were breaking for Princess Anne because she was trying to appear stoic and carry on but it looked as though she was completely shattered on the inside.
The way the family will likely mark the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death
According to Burrell, Queen Elizabeth’s death was such a major event that people all over the U.K. and around the world will remember her on Sept. 8, and the royals will mark that day by attending a church service.
He explained: “That’s the generational thing, is that there’s, there’s always one event that you remember where you were because in my generation, it’s ‘Where you were when you heard Diana died?’ The generation before it was ‘Where were you when you heard Kennedy had been shot?’ Now, it’s ‘Where were you when you heard the news that the queen had died?’”
He continued: “For 70 years, she was monarch. Her 70-year reign ended at Balmoral, two years ago, and that’s why Balmoral is still so special in the royals’ world, because Balmoral was close to the queen’s heart. As I said, her shadow is a very long one, even in death. I think Balmoral might as well be bigger than Brigadoon because time stands still. Here, this special place is remembered as the queen’s home, and two years on, the royals will be thinking about that.
“And they’ll go to church and they’ll all think about their mother, their grandmother, their aunt, or their queen. And it didn’t just affect the royal family, it affected the country and all the people that worked on the estate who loved her. So it’s a very somber, poignant time and it will be for many years to come.”