Queen Elizabeth II left a “huge void” in her life after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, according to their son, Prince Andrew.
Andrew, the third of the couple’s four children, spoke when the benefactors arrived to pay their respects outside the gates of the royal residence in memory of the king’s deceased husband. The royal family member attended church at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, along with other family members, 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 nation,” he said. “And I feel very sorry and support my mother, who probably feels it more than anyone.”
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His younger brother, Prince Edward, called Philip’s death a “terrible shock” but said the 94-year-old queen was “teasing”. Edward’s wife, Sophie, said the monarch thinks of others before herself.
Prince Andrew talked about how his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was doing after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, at the age of 99.
(AP Photo / Sang Tan, File)
Edward, 57, added that the ‘extraordinary’ tributes mean a lot to the royal family.
“It just shows, he may have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people,” he said.
Both palace and government officials have encouraged people not to come and pay their respects in person due to coronavirus restrictions at social gatherings. Hundreds of people, however, on Sunday brought notes, tickets and flowers to the gates of Windsor Castle, 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.
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“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 30 people will be able to attend under the current coronavirus restrictions in England, but the slimmed-down service is reportedly broadcast live on television.
Philip’s grandson, Prince Harry, who resigned from the 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 Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant and was advised by her doctor not to undertake the trip.
Prince Philip died at the age of 99.
(AP)
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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.
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Andrew, 61, who has been largely kept out of the public eye since 2019 amid controversy over his friendship with the late guilty sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, also praised the ‘absolutely incredible tributes’.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.