Queen Elizabeth II speaks about Prince Philip for the first time since his death

Queen Elizabeth II has always appeared strong and composed in her public appearances since the death of her consort Prince Philip at the age of 99 in April this year. The British monarch publicly remembered her husband of 73 years when she attended the opening of the Scottish Parliament over the weekend, for the first time since she lost him to old age.

In her address at the opening ceremony for the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood on Saturday, the 95-year-old spoke about the love she and her late husband shared for Scotland. She said, "I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country, and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here."

"It is often said that it is the people that make a place, and there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland, as we have seen in recent times," the Queen added.

Responding to her speech, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the Parliament offers their "deep sympathy and shared sorrow at (Queen's) loss" and thanked her for being a "steadfast friend of our Parliament since its establishment in 1999".

The monarch, who has been wearing grey and lilac colours after her husband's death in an apparent gesture of mourning, donned bold colours for her latest engagement. She opted for a gold vibrant floral printed dress underneath an alpine green herringbone wool A-line coat, both by Stewart Parvin. She teamed her outfit with an alpine green hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan and her grandmother Queen Mary's diamond thistle brooch, reports People.

For the event, she was accompanied by her eldest son Prince Charles and daughter-in-law Camilla. The couple, who are known as the Duke and the Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, paid tribute to the country with their outfit choices. The heir apparent sported a traditional kilt for the occasion, while Duchess Camilla wore a green coat dress trimmed with Rothesay tartan by Mr. Roy, along with a green beret by Philip Treacy and a diamond thistle brooch of her own.