It's been a busy week for the Windsors. Days after Prince Philip's funeral, the Queen rang in a subdued 95th birthday, Kate made a special tribute to her in-laws and Meghan Markle's friend revealed previously unreported details from Harry's trip to the UK. Here's everything you need to know...

THE QUEEN'S BRAVE FACE ON HER BIRTHDAY: Buckingham Palace shared a photo of the Queen as she celebrated her 95th birthday without Prince Philip on Wednesday. The photo, released on the official Royal Family Instagram account, showed the Queen smiling in a burgundy ensemble at a royal engagement. Instead of sharing their own posts, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram accounts re-posted the radiant photo of Her Majesty. Celebrations were subdued this year with no traditional gun salutes while the Queen observes a two-week mourning period following the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 99. In keeping with the pared-back birthday, the palace scrapped plans to release a new photo of the Queen to mark her birthday, as is customary, and instead released one from a previous royal engagement.

In an effort to keep Her Majesty company now that Philip is gone, the family have agreed to a rota to visit the Queen over the coming days to ensure that she is not left alone. Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, were reported to be among the Queen's first visitors. Both women form part of a group of loyal, discreet and 'utterly trustworthy' women of the Queen's inner circle who are offering crucial support as she faces life without her beloved husband.

The Queen is particularly close with Sophie, 56, who is married to her son Prince Edward. 'Sophie is like another daughter to the Queen, they are that close,' said a Royal source. 'She is trusted and relied on like few others.' The pair are said to speak at least once a day and enjoy regular Saturday 'movie afternoons' when they watch old films together.

SECURITY SCARE AT THE ROYAL LODGE: Elsewhere at Windsor, it has been revealed that a 44-year-old woman who claimed to be engaged to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York was let into his official residence by bungling security guards . Security officers were so taken in by the Spanish national's polished appearance they even paid her cab fare before waving her into the grounds of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park at 11am on Monday. The woman, who has now been sectioned under the 1984 Mental Health Act, spent 20 minutes wandering the grounds before heading inside the Grade II listed building to ask a member of staff where the duke was, reported The Sun.

The woman was held in the lobby after she told the staff member she was engaged to Prince Andrew, her name was Irene Windsor and she lived there with the duke. In the woman's handbag maps of the Royal Lodge and other Royal Family residences were found, alongside a self-defense key ring in the shape of a cat that featured two sharp prongs. She was originally arrested on suspicion of burglary before she was determined mentally ill and a security review has now been launched. Pictured: The Royal Lodge.

Prince Andrew's police protection was scaled back last year as part of cost-cutting measures when he withdrew from Royal duties due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. He still has Met Police personal protection but his officers are no longer routinely armed. Private Security at the Royal Lodge, which Andrew has shared with his ex-wife Sarah since 2004, is provided by The Queen's private income. Sources said Prince Andrew was home at the time of the intrusion, but it is not known if he was aware of it at the time.

FOLLOWING IN PHILIP'S FOOTSTEPS: The Duchess of Cambridge reconnected with her family's long history of aviation on Wednesday as she tried her hand on a flight simulator during a visit to a cadet center. William, who learnt to fly with the RAF and piloted the service's search and rescue helicopters, joked 'this is going to be interesting' as he watched Kate, 39, take the controls of the light aircraft simulator during a visit in east London. The prince, 38, said, 'I'll hold the handbag!' and then stood leaning against a wall with Kate's elegant clutch in his hand.

Kate, wearing a black Dolce & Gabbana coat, struggled to fit her tall frame inside - particularly in her vertiginous heels - but managed to do it elegantly and was handed a headset to wear by Corporal Stephanie Andre, 16. Kate's father, Michael, 71, worked as a commercial pilot and flight dispatcher British Airways while her mother Carole, 66, was a BA flight attendant. Meanwhile, in a striking coincidence, the Duchess of Cambridge's paternal grandfather, Peter, accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh during his royal flying tour of South America in 1962. One image from the time showed Prince Philip, then 41, seen disembarking a plane at Heathrow Airport, while Peter, then 42, stands at the bottom of the plane stairs in RAF uniform (pictured).

The couple, who are officially still in royal mourning, had been given special permission by the Queen to visit the center in honor of her husband, who served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years. The Duke passed the military patronage to The Duchess of Cambridge in 2015. She is known as Honorary Air Commandant because of her civilian background. On the command 'three cheers for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh', the cadets gave a rousing 'hip, hip hooray'.

HONORING THE QUEEN: Kate Middleton borrowed the Queen's silver jubilee diamond and pearl earrings for the air cadet center visit in a touching tribute to the Monarch on her 95th birthday. Her Majesty first debuted the glitzy earrings during her silver jubilee in 1977. Kate has previously worn the drop earrings on a number of occasions, including her first solo engagement to the Netherlands in 2016.

The Queen is currently observing a two-week mourning period and Kate reflected the somber mood with her black ensemble. She previously wore the D&G military-inspired coat, which falls to just below the knees, on Remembrance Sunday in 2017. At the time she was pregnant with Prince Louis.

The visit comes as royal experts claim Kate is set to 'step up' and 'take on the role of future Queen'. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, royal biographer Phil Dampier said Kate is 'maturing rapidly in her role' as she approaches her 10 year anniversary of marrying Prince William and becoming a royal . The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, is said to have played peacemaker between Prince William and Harry at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last week, because 'like the Queen she doesn't hold grudges or seek revenge'. Dampier also noted this task was likely not the easiest after what Harry and Meghan said about her in their Oprah Winfrey interview. Pictured: Kate wearing the earrings on her first solo engagement to the Netherlands in 2016.

THREE-SY RIDER: Kate also shared a new photo of Prince Louis this week to mark his third birthday. The picture, taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, was shot on Wednesday shortly before the three-year-old left for his first day at the Willcocks Nursery School. Beaming at the camera, Louis looks ready for his big day, sporting a smart blue and white striped shirt, navy blue sweater and sky blue shorts. The young prince's Adidas Kids Duramo trainers also look scuffed at the toes, like those of any active three-year-old.

Kensington Palace said the couple were 'delighted to share a new photograph ahead of Prince Louis' third birthday', and the image has delighted royal fans who insist that the youngster is the image of his maternal grandfather, Michael Middleton. Royal watchers often comment that Louis takes after Kate, 39, and her side of the family. One posted: 'I believe as much as George and Charlotte resemble William and HM [Her Majesty, the Queen], Louis is the twin to Catherine's dad. All three are adorable!' Another wrote: 'I think he resembles Kate's father! He's definitely a Middleton!' A third added simply: 'He looks like Michael Middleton!' Pictured: Princess Charlotte, with Prince George and her parents on her first day at Thomas's Battersea in London.

The photo was also shared by the Queen's official Instagram account, with a bicycle emoji and the caption: 'Wishing Prince Louis a very happy third birthday today.' The chubby-faced toddler of previous birthday portraits is growing up fast, just like his brother, Prince George, seven, and sister, Princess Charlotte, who will turn six next month. Pictured: Prince Louis with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte and Prince George attending a special pantomime performance at London's Palladium Theatre in 2020.

'MORE UNITED THAN EVER': Prince Charles and Prince William have reportedly never been more in agreement over the future of them monarchy than they are now, following the death of Prince Philip. Katie Nicholl told this week's episode of True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat that the Duke of Edinburgh's passing marked 'the end of an era' and has 'opened up a conversation that would tiptoe around the big future issues about where the monarchy is going and that inevitable handing over of power.' Nicholls continued:  'The sources I speak to say that the notion of "sovereign" is what has reunited them in the wake of Andrew and "Megxit" - that they are stronger now than ever and more focused.'

Discussing how unified the Royal Family is, Nicholl went on: 'It's not a case of waving a magic wand and everything is okay. There is a lot of work to do. There are a lot of bridges that need to be built and trust that needs to be regained. It's not going to happen in a quick walk around Windsor Castle.' Speaking about Charles and William's post-funeral chat with Prince Harry, Nicholl said 'Credit to the Prince of Wales, who instigated that meeting as an initial icebreaker, because no-one realizes and appreciates more than Prince Charles that a divided Royal Family is not the unified monarchy that people want to see.' Pictured: Harry and William at Prince Philip's funeral, separated by Peter Phillips.

Nicholl added that Prince Andrew's future role remains an unresolved issue, as is the continued lack of trust between Prince William and Prince Harry, 36. Nicholl said Charles and William both see 'potential for disaster' should they bring the Duke of York, 61, back into the royal fold. MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton has noted in the past, however, that 'while the Queen remains alive, she is incredibly close to Prince Andrew, and he is there as part of her life.' Hopes for Harry's return, however, are still high. Another guest of the show, royal photographer Arthur Edwards, shared his feelings that the Royal Family hope Harry might one day return. 'He was a vital member, but he's chosen another life now and if he wants to talk to news and Netflix and all these different people for money, well let him, but you can't keep trashing the Royal Family Harry. He's trashing his own flesh and blood and he's got to stop it,' he said.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Prince Harry returned home to California from London on Monday, MailOnline can reveal, missing the Queen's birthday and leaving the Windsor family row unresolved after meeting with his father and Prince William following the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. The Duke of Sussex, 36, is understood to have flown into Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight from London Heathrow earlier this week. His chauffeur-driven MPV was seen leaving the private terminal at LAX, reserved for celebrities and the super-rich, and was spotted again arriving at the Sussexes' Montecito mansion at around 4pm.

Harry may have missed the Queen's birthday by just a few hours in order to return home to his pregnant wife, but bookies think Meghan Markle and the Prince may have a more impactful way to honor Her Majesty up their sleeves. Royal watchers have speculated the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may name their second child Lily in a bid to build bridges with the Queen. Fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle originally guessed that they would chose Diana to pay tribute to his later mother, after the couple announced during their interview with Oprah that they are expecting a girl. However, speculation has now turned to Lily - which BoyleSports revealed moved from 66/1 to 25/1, following strong support over the weekend. Fans believe the couple may opt for the name to honor the Queen, whose nickname is 'Lilibet'. Pictured: The Queen sitting alone at Prince Philip's funeral.

During his time in the UK, Harry attended his grandfather Prince Philip's funeral and, according to Meghan's friend Omid Scobie, met with the Queen privately 'at least twice'. Scobie also said Harry spoke to his father and brother Prince William after the Duke of Edinburgh's emotional funeral at Windsor Castle on Saturday. MailOnline's Dan Wootton first revealed that Charles and William preferred to meet with the Duke of Sussex face-to-face together within the grounds of the castle after the funeral so that nobody's words could be misconstrued afterwards. Pictured: Harry standing behind his father at the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral.

MODEL MOMS: And while there is still plenty of tension between the Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the royals, Meghan's fellow Californians seem to have nothing but good things to say about her. This week, Chrissy Teigen recalled how Meghan reached out to her after learning the model had tragically lost her baby son Jack halfway through her pregnancy. 'She's been so kind to me ever since we connected, she had written to me about baby Jack and loss,' Chrissy said on the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen After Show. 'She is really wonderful and so kind, and just as kind as everyone says she is. She's a really wonderful girl.' It is thought that Chrissy and Meghan have become close since the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry relocated to California. The two previously worked together as models on the TV game show Deal or No Deal at the start of their careers.

Chrissy, 35, and her husband John Legend, 42, who are parents to Luna, five, and Miles, two, lost their son Jack in September last year - he was stillborn. Pregnant Meghan, who is currently expecting her second child - a girl - with Prince Harry, tragically suffered her own miscarriage over the summer in 2020 and described the 'unbearable grief' it caused her and Prince Harry in an article written for the New York Times.

Chrissy also revealed that she had spoken to Meghan after her and Prince Harry's bombshell Oprah interview aired, but wouldn't disclose what she said. The model did, however, describe the television interview as 'very eye-opening'. Chrissy said: 'I think when I ended up watching it, it was like... "this is big"'. But I also waited a long time to watch it, so I had already heard so much about it by the time that I got to it. But yeah, it is - I mean, very eye-opening. Very eye-opening.' Asked whether she had any 'extra tea' surrounding Meghan's interview, Chrissy insisted: 'Extra tea? Um, no. Honestly, no. She's been very open about what she's been open with, and I think honestly her truth has been her truth since the very beginning. So, no, I didn't get any extra.'