Family rallies around Queen as death of Duke leaves ‘huge void’
The Queen described the death of her husband the Prince Philip as having left a “huge void” in her life, her son Prince Andrew says.
The Royal Family says the death of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, has left a huge void in her life.
Andrew revealed the personal feelings of his mother after attending a church service in Windsor where members of the royal family said prayers for Philip.
“The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” he said on Sunday.
“She described it as having left a huge void in her life.
“But we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we’re there to support her.”
Andrew, the Duke of York, described his father Philip as a “remarkable man” and said his death had resonated with people across Britain.
“We’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation,” he said.
Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, said Philip was someone who would always listen.
“I loved him as a father. He was so calm. If you had a problem, he would think about it,” he said.
The monarchy is observing two weeks of mourning and the members of the family who attended church were dressed in black, with Andrew and his brother Prince Edward wearing black ties.
The Queen has been receiving regular visits from her children since Philip died at Windsor Castle on Friday morning aged 99, after 73 years of marriage.
Philip’s wishes are the driving force behind the plans for his funeral, which will be held at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
His coffin will be transported from the castle to the chapel in a specially modified Land Rover he helped to design, followed by Prince Charles and senior royals on foot.
Only 30 people will attend as guests, expected to be his children, grandchildren and other close family, but Meghan Markle has been advised by her doctor not to travel from California to the UK for the funeral.
Former British prime minister John Major said the shared grief over the death of Philip was an “ideal opportunity” to mend rifts within the royal family.
Prince Harry laid bare the tension with members of his family during an interview alongside Meghan with Oprah Winfrey last month.
“The friction that we are told has arisen is a friction better ended as speedily as possible,” Major told the BBC.
“And a shared emotion, a shared grief, at the present time because of the death of their father, their grandfather, I think is an ideal opportunity.”
