Prince Charles is missing his “dear papa,” Prince Philip.
The 72-year-old Prince of Wales shared a sentimental message on behalf of the royal family after the death of his father. The Duke of Edinburgh died on Friday at the age of 99.
“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,” a somber Charles told reporters on Saturday. “As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously.”
“He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow,” he continued. “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. Thank you,” he concluded.
Charles visited his father while he was at King Edward VII hospital in February, after Philip was admitted to the hospital as “a precautionary measure” on the advice of his doctor after not feeling well. Philip was released in March and returned home to be with Queen Elizabeth II.
On Saturday, Buckingham Palace announced that Philip’s funeral will take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor on Saturday, April 17 at 3 p.m. The service will be preceded by a Ceremonial Procession inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. The royal family will observe two weeks of Royal Mourning, that started on Friday. Prince William also canceled his BAFTAs appearance on Saturday following his grandfather’s death.
that Prince Harry, who is in California, will fly to the U.K. to attend the funeral. Meghan Markle, who is pregnant with their second child, did not receive medical clearance from her physician to travel.
Philip didn’t want an elaborate state funeral, instead asked for a more intimate affair during his final days. Before his death, he had a hand in making his own funeral plans, per Omid Scobie, co-author of Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making
