Following the death of Prince Philip, the royal family is currently in a two-week period of mourning. During this period, Queen Elizabeth is breaking with the traditional mourning rituals of previous family members and royals.

According to "People" (opens in new tab), the queen will not use the customary black-bordered letterhead during the official mourning period. Instead, she uses personalized stationery with the queen's coat of arms in black instead of red. The magazine speculates that this modern ceremony is in honor of the late Prince Philip. Notably, the coffin was carried in a custom-built Land Rover (opens in new tab), and there were no eulogies at Saturday's funeral.

In contrast to the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge used standard black-rimmed stationery during their mourning period. This tradition has existed since the 19th century, and after the death of Lord Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria used black-rimmed stationery for her correspondence in honor of the mourning period.

However, Queen Elizabeth used black-edged letterhead for her last letter to Prince Philip (opens in new tab). The Queen placed this handwritten letter on the coffin of the late Duke of Edinburgh, where it was visible throughout the memorial service. Although the guests at the funeral could not see all of the letter's contents, we do know one sweet detail-the monarch signed the note "Lilibet," her childhood nickname.

The Queen's period of mourning will continue tomorrow, the monarch's 95th birthday. Due to the death of her husband and the ongoing pandemic, celebrations on this day will be different from previous years. However, we may see the royal family come together to send their blessings to the patriarch.