Prince William, Prince Harry and other royal family members share heartfelt tributes for Prince Philip
All weekend long, heartfelt tributes have poured into the U.K. from around the world, honoring the life and legacy of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband of more than 70 years, after his death at age 99 on Friday. Britain is now in an eight-day period of national mourning.
One by one, members of the royal family, including Philip's children and grandchildren, have expressed their grief and gratitude for the Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving royal consort.
Prince William
In a statement on Monday, Prince William, said that he and his wife, Catherine, will continue to "do what he would have wanted" and support the queen.
"I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life — both through good times and the hardest days," the Duke of Cambridge said. "I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her. I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humor!"
"I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job," he concluded.
Prince Harry
On Monday, Prince Harry arrived in the U.K. and is now following COVID-19 isolation protocols ahead of the funeral on Saturday. His wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant and was not given medical clearance to travel from the U.S. for the funeral.
"He will be remembered as the longest-reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right 'til the end," the Duke of Sussex said in a statement Monday.
"He has been a rock for Her Majesty The Queen with unparalleled devotion, by her side for 73 years of marriage, and while I could go on, I know that right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, 'Oh do get on with it!'
"Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts," he concluded. "'Per Mare, Per Terram.'"
Prince Charles
Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, was the first to speak publicly following his father's death, addressing the public from Buckingham Palace on Saturday.
"As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously," the Prince of Wales said. "He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow."
"My dear papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him, and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that," he continued. "It will sustain us in this particular loss, and at this particularly sad time."
Princess Anne
In a statement on Sunday, Princess Anne, Prince Philip's only daughter, called her father her teacher, supporter and critic. She also thanked people who have sent their condolences and shared their fond memories of the prince.
"You know it's going to happen but you are never really ready," she said. "I regard it as an honor and a privilege to have been asked to follow in his footsteps and it has been a pleasure to have kept him in touch with their activities."
Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew spoke to reporters on Sunday, following a private church service attended by some members of the royal family.
"It's a great loss. I think the way I would put it is we've lost almost the grandfather of the nation and I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who is feeling it, I think probably more than everybody else," Prince Andrew said. "The queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person and she described his passing as a miracle and she is contemplating, I think that's the way I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying around to make sure that we're there to support her."
Prince Edward
Prince Edward said Sunday that, despite having time to prepare, his father's death still came as "a bit of a shock."
"However much one tries to prepare oneself for something like this, it's still a dreadful shock and we're still trying to come to terms with that, and it's very, very sad," Prince Edward told reporters. "But I have to say that the extraordinary tributes and the memories that everybody's had and has been willing to share has been so fantastic."
Prince Philip's daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex, added that Philip was "very, very peaceful" when he died.
"It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful," said Sophie, who is married to Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, Prince Edward. "And that's all you want for somebody, isn't it? I think it's so much easier for the person that goes than the people that are left behind."
Sophie also told reporters that the queen "has been amazing." She has not spoken publicly since her husband's death.
