Johnson's office apologises to Queen for party on eve of Philip's funeral

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the weekly Prime Minister's Questions at the parliament in London, Britain, January 12, 2022. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office apologised to Queen Elizabeth on Friday after it emerged that staff partied late into the night in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, when mixing indoors was banned.

Johnson is facing the gravest crisis of his premiership after almost daily revelations of social gatherings during COVID-19 lockdowns, some held when ordinary people could not bid farewell in person to dying relatives.