The Queen shares heartfelt poem in honour of the first anniversary of Prince Philip's death

It's hard to believe, but Saturday marked the first anniversary of the death of Prince Philip.

And after 73 years of marriage and a loving union that saw her husband often by her side or two steps behind, Queen Elizabeth II marked the first anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's passing with a poignant poem on social media.

Posted to the Royal Family Twitter account, the poem entitled The Patriarchs – An Elegy, which was written by the poet laureate Simon Armitage, was read out over soft piano music and was accompanied by a video montage of photographs from the Duke's life.

The poem - which pays particular tribute to his career in the Royal Navy - was first published on the day of his funeral last year.

The anniversary of the Duke's death comes just one week after the royal family attended a Service of Thanksgiving for Philip at Westminster Abbey.

The 95-year-old monarch was joined 1,800 mourners at Westminster Abbey for the memorial service for her husband, whom she called her "strength and stay."

Philip passed away peacefully at his home Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99, leaving behind four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.