How the Queen’s last 18 months have been overshadowed by the sad death of her beloved Prince Philip, the Megxit and the Prince Andrew scandal

The Queen’s last 18 months have been plagued by a string of royal scandals – including Megxit and Prince Andrew’s sexual claims.

Her Majesty, 96, has endured countless controversies that threatened to dampen her joy at reaching 70 years on the throne.

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But like a true queen, she maintained a dignified silence as the royal family threatened to collapse around her.

The torrid timeline began after her grandson Prince Harry dramatically left the royals in the UK to start a new life with wife Meghan Markle in the US.

While the stoic queen went about her duty, the pair waited backstage to drop a series of bombshells that would rock The Firm.

In a explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan and Harry implied the royal family had been racist towards their son Archie.

The couple declined to reveal the identity of the alleged royal racist as it would be too ‘damaging’ for them – although Oprah later said it was neither the Queen nor the Duke of Edinburgh.

Her Majesty was forced to break protocol and issue a statement revealing she was “saddened” by the claims.

She also confirmed that the royal family takes the allegations “very seriously” and said Harry, Meghan and Archie “will always be dearly loved family members”.

As the Megxit saga unfolded with more royal bombshells, the Queen was dealt another blow when her “favorite” son Prince Andrew was embroiled in a sex scandal.

The Duke of York paid Virginia Giuffre, 38, a multimillion-pound settlement in February over the allegations.

He was stripped of all his patronage and military titles by the Queen and has rarely been seen in public since.

In April, he appeared at Prince Philip’s memorial service with his mother, driving her car and showing her down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.

But he was forced to skip their platinum anniversary celebrations after collapsing with Covid.

While the four-day weekend celebrating Queen Britain’s 70th jubilee was a joy, one member of the royal family was noticeably absent.

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In her final months, Her Majesty was left alone to weather the storm after the death of her beloved Prince Philip at the age of 99.

The Duke of Edinburgh had been a constant at the Queen’s side during her time on the throne.

Their 73-year marriage became the longest of any British sovereign – with Philip regularly at his wife’s side as her “strength and support”.

He was buried at Windsor Castle in April 2021 as the Queen sat alone in silent mourning for her husband.

As she mourned, her health deteriorated – meaning the monarch was urged to slow down.

It came after a night in hospital in October 2021 to undergo “preliminary checks”.

She was later spotted using a walking stick at a service at Westminster Abbey – the first time she has done so on a major engagement.

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A battle with Covid in February this year that left the Queen feeling “very tired and exhausted” compounded her health problems.

In May, Her Majesty made the difficult decision not to attend the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years.

The palace attributed her absence to “episodic mobility issues” – with Prince Charles, which worsened as he began to lighten his mother’s workload.

Her health issues also forced her to skip the Cop26 climate summit and Festival of Remembrance.

Her Majesty had planned to attend the Sunday service at the Cenotaph but was devastated when she missed the event due to a sprained back

The Queen was even forced to withdraw from the Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral after experiencing “discomfort” during the previous day’s celebrations.

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Buckingham Palace warned earlier this year that the public should no longer assume they will see her at an event.

Instead, their presence was not confirmed until the day in question.

This led to joy when the Queen happened to show up at events over the summer looking healthy and happy.

In May she received a standing ovation at the Royal Windsor Horse Show when her horse, Balmoral Leia, was crowned winner of the Highland Class 64 event.

Just days later, she made a surprise appearance on the London Underground to open the new Elizabeth Line at Paddington Station.

Her Majesty even refilled her Oyster card in front of stunned commuters.

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She also stunned fans days later when she was the guest of honor at the equestrian extravaganza A Gallop Through History near Windsor.

After comedian Omid Djalili made a joke about the Queen preferring the event to the opening of parliament, she raised her hand and gave a slight shrug to show her delight.

On September 6, in a break with tradition, the monarch met new Prime Minister Liz Truss at home in Balmoral.

Her Majesty usually appoints the new Prime Minister at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, but her mobility problems have forced her to spend more time at the Scottish estate.

With a big smile on her face, the Queen appeared to be in good spirits as she shook hands with Ms. Truss.

It was then a shock when, just days later, the devastating news broke that her family would be flying in to support her in her final moments.

Despite suffering royal fissures, bombshell claims and health scares for 18 months, the Queen was able to bring them all together one last time before she died.

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