‘A POIGNANT AND HEARTFELT TRIBUTE'

THE JOINT CHRISTENING OF PRINCESS EUGENIE’S SON AUGUST AND ZARA TINDALL’S SON LUCAS AT WINDSOR WAS A DAY FOR CELEBRATION THAT ALSO PAID HOMAGE TO THE LATE PRINCE PHILIP

-  KIRSTY NUTKINS

After nearly a month’s absence from public duties amid health concerns, it was wonderful to see the Queen back on her feet last weekend at the christening of two of her great-grandchildren.

There had been fears that Her Majesty would not be able to attend the rare joint christening of Princess Eugenie’s son August and Zara Tindall’s son Lucas, after she was forced to miss Remembrance Sunday commemorations the week before because of a sprained back. But it’s understood the monarch was determined to attend the ceremony, and in a sighting that will doubtless reassure people across the country, she looked lovely in green as she was driven away from All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park in a Range Rover.

The chapel is a 15-minute drive from Windsor Castle, where the Queen is in residence, and it is one of the few events she has attended in person after doctors advised her to rest last month.

Royal expert and author Katie Nicholl says, “To see the Queen doing anything after a period when she’s been unwell is very reassuring, and to see her at a family occasion is an encouraging sign that she’s feeling better.”