Queen left with ‘huge void’ in her life after Philip’s death – Prince Andrew

The Queen has described the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh as “having left a huge void in her life”.
Prince Andrew at the memorial service on SundayPrince Andrew at the memorial service on Sunday
Prince Andrew at the memorial service on Sunday

The Duke of York revealed the personal feelings of his mother the Queen after attending a church service where members of the royal family said prayers for Philip as the nation remembered him.

Andrew movingly described the passing of his father as resonating with many people, saying: “We’ve lost the grandfather of the nation.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And he revealed members of the family have been rallying round to support the Queen who is stoically dealing with the death of her partner of more than 70 years.

Andrew was joined at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor for a Sunday service.

The duke said about his father’s death: “The Queen as you would expect is an incredibly stoic person.

“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.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sophie and Edward appeared visibly moved as they spoke about the Queen, with their daughter by their side, after the service.

The Queen is “thinking of others before herself”, the Countess said, and her husband the Earl added: “As always. But bearing up, and again it’s just that wave of affection for him and just those lovely stories.

“They just mean so much and the tributes have been just fantastic. That’s really, really important and we really do appreciate it.”

Their words were echoed by Andrew who spoke separately from his brother and sister-in-law after the service, saying the family was grateful for all the “absolutely amazing tributes” to his father.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, said of Philip: “He was a remarkable man.

“I loved him as a father. He was so calm. If you had a problem, he would think about it.

“That’s the great thing that I always think about, that he was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen so it’s a great loss.

“We’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation. And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who’s feeling it probably more than everybody else.”

Related topics: