LONDON (AP) – The death of Prince Philip has left a “huge void” in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, their son, Prince Andrew, said on Sunday, while the blessers continued to leave floral tributes outside the gates of the royal residences in memory monarch’s husband.
Andrew, the third of the couple’s four children, attended the Royal Chapel Church of All Saints in Windsor along with other members of the royal family, two days after Philip, 99, died at Windsor Castle. .
Andrew said his mother “described her as leaving a huge void in her life.”
“We have almost lost the grandfather of the nation,” he said. “And I’m very sorry and I support my mother, who probably feels it more than anyone else.”
His younger brother, Prince Edward, called Philip’s death a “terrible shock”, but said the 94-year-old queen was “getting up”. Edward’s wife, Sophie, said the monarch was “thinking of others before her.”
Both palace officials and government officials urged people not to come in person to pay their respects due to coronavirus restrictions on social interference. But hundreds of people brought notes, books and flowers to the gates of Windsor Castle, 32 kilometers west of London, on Sunday, while others paid tribute in front of Buckingham Palace in the British capital.
Neil Loughton, the founder of the Penny Farthing Club, took his antique bicycle to the palace gates to pay his respects.
“I think there are some things that are just important and need to be done. Ninety-nine years of life and over 70 years of service deserve some recognition, ”he said.
Philip’s funeral will be on April 17 at Windsor Castle. Only 30 people will be able to participate under current coronavirus restrictions in England, but the pregnancy reduction service is scheduled to be broadcast live on television.
Philip’s nephew, Prince Harry, who gave up his royal duties last year and now lives in California, will attend the service with other members of the royal family, palace officials said. she was advised by her doctor not to make the trip.
Members of the royal family said they appreciated the outpouring of tributes and good wishes from people in the UK and around the world to Philip, who was the queen’s consort and supported her in more than seven decades of marriage.
Prince Edward, 57, said the “extraordinary” tributes meant a lot to the royal family.
“It just shows that he could have been our father, our grandfather, our father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people,” he said.
Andrew, 61, who has largely caught the public eye since 2019 amid controversy over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, also praised the “absolutely amazing tributes.”