The Queen is today spending her first birthday without her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, following his death earlier this month.

It will be the first time she has spent her birthday without Philip at her side since 1947, when she spent her milestone 21st with her parents and younger sister while on a tour of South Africa ahead of her wedding.

But while the celebrations for her 95th will be understandably muted, the grieving monarch is expected to take solace in a joy she and Philip shared – their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

While the coronavirus lockdown meant they couldn’t spend much time in person together this past year, the Queen and her late husband kept in touch with their large family via frequent Zoom calls.

Harry spoke to his grandparents using the software on The Late Show with James Corden as he said: “Both my grandparents do zoom. They’ve seen Archie running around.”

He also shared a sweet anecdote, explaining that “instead of pressing ‘leave meeting’ [Prince Philip just goes ‘door’ [closes the laptop]. So, we’re like ‘Ok, bye'”.

The Queen suffers second heartbreak in as many weeks as close friend Sir Michael Oswald dies on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral.

Indeed it is as a doting grandfather that The Queen hopes her husband will be remembered.

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After his death on April 9, the Queen shared a sweet photo of herself, Prince Philip and seven of her great-grandchildren cuddled up together on a mint-green couch.

Queen Elizabeth and Philip’s four children have between them given them eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, with another due any day.