Why the Queen and other royals honored Prince Philip with green clothing instead of black at his memorial service

• Prince Philip's memorial service took place on Tuesday, nearly a year after his death.
• The Queen wore a shade of green in what appeared to be a tribute to her late husband.

The Queen and several other royals seemingly paid tribute to Prince Philip by wearing green outfits to his Westminster Abbey memorial service on Tuesday, which took place nearly a year after his death.

The memorial was the first major official engagement Queen Elizabeth II attended since October of 2021, as Sky News reported, and came just over a month since she tested positive for COVID-19. She was escorted from her residence in Windsor Castle to the abbey by Prince Andrew during the BBC's live broadcast of the service, where viewers got a first glimpse of her emerald coatdress.

The shade evoked Philip's official livery color of "Edinburgh Green," the Independent reported. The duke's page wore a similar dark green shade during Philip's coronation and for his funeral on April 17, 2021, a specially adapted Land Rover hearse was painted the same color.

The Queen accessorized her outfit with a matching hat, a pair of sleek black shoes, and a black handbag. She also paid tribute to Philip by donning a yellow gold, ruby, and diamond "Scarab brooch," which was a personal gift given to her by her husband in 1966, Hello! Magazine reported.

She wasn't the only attendee to honor her late husband through fashion. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and her daughter Princess Anne also took the opportunity to incorporate the special shade of green into their own outfits.

While some may assume a service dedicated to Philip and his legacy may have required the royals to wear formal black attire, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Insider there was actually no protocol for them to do so as it was a service of thanksgiving. Instead, royal attendees like the Cambridges sported a "lounge suit" dress code, the spokesperson added.

However, they declined to comment on whether the color worn by all three royals was indeed a tribute to Philip.

Nonetheless, the Queen was "actively involved in the plans" for the service, according to a palace press release. The event took place in the very same location she and Philip were married in 1947.

A subtle tribute to their 73-year relationship was the inclusion of white dendrobium orchids and sea holly in the flower arrangement. According to the press release, orchids were featured in the Queen's wedding bouquet and the sea holly is symbolic of The Duke of Edinburgh's naval career "and lifelong affection for the sea."