On Sunday, Prince Andrew paid tribute to his late father, Prince Philip, calling him “the grandfather of the nation” – and observing the “huge void” his death had left for the widow Queen Elizabeth II.
“He was a remarkable man,” the 61-year-old prince told reporters about the scandal of his father, who died on Friday at the age of 99.
“I loved him like a father. He was so calm. “He was always someone you could go to and he always listened to him,” Andrew said as he left a special service at the Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park.
“We almost lost the nation’s grandfather,” he said.
Andrew – who has remained in the spotlight for most of his resignation from royal duties for his ties to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – said his mother, the 94-year-old queen, remained “Stoic”.
“I’m very sorry and I’m leaning for my mother who feels it, I think probably more than anyone else,” he said.
“She described it as leaving a huge void in her life.”
In a possible excavation of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Andrew added: “We, the family – those close to us – are gathering to make sure we are there to support her.”
Andrew’s younger brother, Prince Edward, said the family was “still trying to reconcile” with the “very, very sad” loss.
“It simply came to our notice then. No matter how hard he tries to prepare for such a thing, it is still a terrible shock “, he said about his father, who spent a month in the hospital, during which time he had heart surgery this year.
Edward said the huge show of mourning and public support showed that Philip “could have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people.”