LONDON (AP) – The death of Prince Philip has left a “huge void” in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, their son, Prince Andrew, said on Sunday, while benefactors still paid homage to the flower outside the gates of royal residences in memory of the monarch. man.
Andrew, the third of the couple’s four children, visited the church with other members of the royal family in the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, two days after the 99-year-old Philip died in Windsor Castle.
Andrew said his mother described it as a major gap in her life.
“We almost lost the grandfather of the country,” he said. “And I feel very sorry and support my mother, who probably feels more than everyone else.”
His younger brother, Prince Edward, calls Philip’s death a “horrific shock”, but says the 94-year-old queen is “tolerating.” Edward’s wife, Sophie, said the monarch thinks of others before herself.
Both palace and government officials have urged people not to pay personal tribute due to coronavirus restrictions on social interference. But hundreds of people on Sunday brought notes, tickets and flowers to the gates of Windsor Castle, 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of London, while others paid tribute outside Buckingham Palace in the British capital.
Neil Loughton, founder of the Penny Farthing Club, rode his antique bicycle to the palace gates to pay his respects.
‘I think there are some things that are just important and that need to be done. “Ninety-nine years of life and more than 70 years of service deserve recognition,” he said.
Philip’s funeral will take place on April 17 in Windsor Castle. Only thirty people will be able to attend under the current coronavirus restrictions in England, but the slimmed-down service is broadcast live on television.
Philip’s grandson, Prince Harry, who retired from royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service with other members of the royal family, palace officials said. His wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant and was advised by her doctor not to undertake the trip.
Royal family members said they appreciated the outpouring of tributes and good wishes from people across Britain and around the world to Philip, who has been the Queen’s companion and support through more than seven decades of marriage.
Prince 57 (57) said that the ‘extraordinary’ tributes mean a lot to the royal family.
“It just seems like he may have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people,” he said.
Andrew, 61, who has been largely out of the public eye since 2019 amid controversy over his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, also praised the “absolutely incredible tributes”.