Duchess of Edinburgh cuts a sombre figure as she attends state funeral of former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano in Rome
- The Duchess, 57, attended the sombre event without her husband Prince Edward
- READ MORE: Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is King Charles ‘secret weapon’
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, attended the state funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today.
The royal, 58, put on a sombre display as she joined other officials for the official ceremony at Montecitorio Square in Rome, Italy.
The former president and senator – and the nation’s first person to be elected for two mandates – passed away aged 98 on Friday September 22.
Sophie’s appearance marked a solo visit for the royal as she was spotted making her way into the building without her husband Prince Edward.
The mother-of-two looked smart in a respectful ankle length black dress, alongside black shoes and a matching bag.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured right), has attended the state funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today
The royal, 57, put on a sombre display as she attended the official ceremony at Montecitorio Square in Rome, Italy
She cut a stoic figure as she joined mourners to celebrate the life of the former president.
Footage from the state funeral showed the body of Giorgio Napolitano being carried away from the Senate and over to Montecitorio Square.
Giorgio, who declared himself an atheist, was honoured with a non-religious service at the Lower House.
The ex-president was hospitalised in Rome shortly after his 98th birthday on June 29.
By September, he was reported to be in critical condition and was taken off of life support – he died three days later.
Italy’s Council of Ministers announced a day of national mourning and instructed flags to be flown at half-mast for five days to commemorate his memory.
Giorgio was first elected to parliament in 1953 and became president in 2006 as a prominent member of the Democratic Left, the rebranded Cold War-era Communists.
He agreed to a second term in 2013 after a deadlocked election left Italy in a political crisis.
The former president and senator – and the nation’s first person to be elected for two mandates – passed away aged 98 on Friday September 22. Here, Sophie is pictured making her way into the funeral
At one point the body of Giorgio Napolitano can be seen being carried away from the Senate and over to Montecitorio Square
Her appearance marked a solo visit for the royal as she was spotted making her way into the building without her husband Prince Edward
Her face appeared stoic, revealing the intensity of her emotions as she mourned the former president’s passing
Duchess Sophie’s international solo appearance comes after she marked the first anniversary of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s death earlier this month.
Sophie appeared relaxed on the emotional day as she attended the Cornbury House International Trials in Oxfordshire.
Prince Edward’s wife was very close to Queen Elizabeth II , and was known as one of her closest confidantes.
The pair formed a close bond after losing her own mother, Mary Rhys-Jones, to stomach cancer in 2005 aged 71, when her daughter Lady Louise Windsor was only two.
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