'Meghan, Archie and I will always hold a special place for you': Harry pays tribute to Prince Philip

13 April 2021 - 07:20 By unathi nkanjeni
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Prince Harry says he will always remember his late grandfather, Prince Philip, as the "master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end".
Prince Harry says he will always remember his late grandfather, Prince Philip, as the "master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end".
Image: Eddie Mulholland/Getty Images

Prince Harry has paid a touching tribute to his late grandfather, Prince Philip, saying he will be sorely missed but always remembered.

Prince Philip, who was the husband of Queen Elizabeth and a leading figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, died on Friday.

He will be buried at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel on Saturday.

In a statement shared on Archewell, a non-profit organisation named after Harry and Meghan Markel's son Archie, Harry said he will always remember Prince Philip as the “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end”.

“My grandfather was a man of service, honour and great humour. He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm and also because you never knew what he might say next,” said Harry.

“He will be remembered as the longest-reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince and a duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa.”

Prince Harry joked he would keep his tribute short because he knows Prince Philip would have told him to “get on with it”.

“He has been a rock for Her Majesty the Queen with unparalleled devotion, by her side for 73 years of marriage, and while I could go on, I know right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘Oh do get on with it!’" he said.

“So, on that note, Grandpa, thank you for your service, your dedication to Granny, and for always being yourself. You will be sorely missed, but always remembered by the nation and the world. Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts.”

In a video shared on Instagram, Prince Charles described his father as a “very special person”.

“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 said.

Prince Charles said he believes his father “would have been amazed” by the outpouring of love and support.

“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 said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that,” he said.

“It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time. Thank you.”


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