Queen, royal family honors late Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey celebration

Prince Harry was the only immediate member of the British royal family who didn’t attend the celebration on Tuesday.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family celebrated the life of the late Prince Philip on Tuesday during a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey — almost a year after the Duke of Edinburgh died at the age of 99.

The queen, who’s battled COVID-19 and other health issues in the past, used a walking stick to enter Westminster Abbey on the arm of her son Prince Andrew at Tuesday’s event.

Prince Charles and Prince William — the heir and second in line to the British throne — both attended Tuesday’s celebration with the queen’s other children Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

Prince Harry, the queen’s grandson, and his wife Meghan Markle did not attend Tuesday’s ceremony honoring Prince Philip and opted to stay at their home in Los Angeles. Prince Harry has previously expressed concern about security for him and his children if they returned home to Britain.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially resigned from their royal duties about a year ago after settling in Southern California.

Some 30 foreign royals also attended the event — including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had been married for 73 years before he died. He was the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch.

The 95-year-old queen and Prince Philip had a long association with Westminster Abbey. The two wed at the Gothic church, formally known as the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, in 1947.

Tuesday’s appearance was the first for Prince Andrew with the royal family since Prince Philip’s funeral 11 months ago. He died last April 9.

Prince Andrew, 62, the queen’s second son, has been the focus of a lawsuit recently involving claims of sexual assault from American Virginia Giuffre, which she says occurred through Andrew’s relationship with billionaire financier and sex offender Jeffery Epstein.