Duchess of Edinburgh cuts a sombre figure as she attends state funeral of former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano in Rome
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, attended the state funeral of former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano today.
The royal, 58, put on a somber display as she joined other officials for the official ceremony in Montecitorio Square in Rome, Italy.
The former president and senator – and the country’s first person to be elected to two terms – passed away on Friday, September 22, at the age of 98.
Sophie’s appearance marked a solo visit for the royal family as she was spotted entering the building without her husband Prince Edward.
The mother-of-two looked dapper in a respectful, ankle-length black dress, alongside black shoes and a matching bag.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured right) attended the state funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today
The royal, 57, put on a somber display as she attended the official ceremony in Montecitorio Square in Rome, Italy
She cut a stoic figure as she joined mourners to celebrate the former president’s life.
Footage from the state funeral showed Giorgio Napolitano’s body being taken from the Senate to Montecitorio Square.
Giorgio, who declared himself an atheist, was honored with a non-religious service in the House of Representatives.
The ex-president was hospitalized in Rome shortly after his 98th birthday on June 29.
In September he was reported to be in critical condition and was taken off life support – he died three days later.
Italy’s Council of Ministers declared a day of national mourning and ordered flags to fly 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 communists of the Cold War era.
He agreed to a second term in 2013 after a deadlocked election plunged Italy into political crisis.
The former president and senator – and the country’s first person to be elected to two terms – died on Friday, September 22 at the age of 98. Here Sophie is depicted entering the funeral.
At one point Giorgio Napolitano’s body is seen being taken from the Senate to Montecitorio Square
Her appearance marked a solo visit for the royal family as she was seen entering the building without her husband Prince Edward
Her face appeared stoic, revealing the intensity of her emotions as she mourned the passing of the former president
Duchess Sophie’s international solo appearance comes after she commemorated the first anniversary of Her 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 at the age of 71, when her daughter Lady Louise Windsor was just two.