Prince Charles will miss the Duke of Edinburgh “enormously”.
The 72-year-old royal has paid a glowing tribute to Prince Philip, praising his “remarkable, devoted service” to the Queen, his family, the country and the Commonwealth.
Speaking from his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire, Prince Charles said: “I particularly wanted to say that my father, for I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth.
“As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously.”
Prince Charles thinks the Duke of Edinburgh – who died peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday (09.04.21) – would’ve been “amazed” by the reaction to his passing.
He said: “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.
“It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.”
Prince Charles made the statement shortly after Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Philip’s funeral will take place next Saturday (17.04.21) at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Prince Philip’s coffin will be moved to St George’s Chapel on the day of the service and members of the royal family – including Prince Charles – will walk behind the coffin.
The Queen will travel separately to the chapel and after the service, Prince Philip will be interred in the Royal vault.
Prince Harry – who relocated to California in 2020 – is set to fly into the UK to attend the ceremony, but the Duchess of Sussex – who is expecting her second child later this year – will remain in the US on medical advice.