LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II has been left bereft at the death of her husband, Prince Philip, one of the couple’s sons said on Sunday, as prayers were said at memorial services across Britain.
Prince Andrew said his 94-year-old mother was “incredibly stoic” but had been hit hard by the death of the Duke of Edinburgh at the age of 99 on Friday.
Last year the couple celebrated 73 years of marriage.
“She described it (his death) as having left a huge void in her life,” Andrew told broadcasters after a church service at Windsor Castle, west of London.
He described his father as “the grandfather of the nation” and said close family were “rallying round” the queen in support.
Younger brother Edward called his father’s death “a dreadful shock,” despite his recent illness.
The comments came as the Church of England’s highest-ranking cleric led prayers at a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh.
“For the royal family, as for every other, no words can reach into the depth of sorrow that goes into bereavement,” said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
The queen is head of the Church of England.
Other senior faith leaders paid tribute to Philip, whose support for the queen has been seen as crucial during her 69-year reign.
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, told Vatican Radio the prince had a “cheerful sense of duty” and provided “stability” to queen and country.
The queen’s eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, 72, on Saturday paid his own heartfelt tribute to his father, saying he and the royal family missed him “enormously”.
“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 added.
Prince Philip’s death triggered eight days of national mourning, which ends with his funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday.
Well-rehearsed plans for his funeral — codenamed “Operation Forth Bridge” — have had to be hastily revised because of coronavirus restrictions, and to confirm to government guidelines. — AFP
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