New photos: Prince Philip and the Queen, a fond farewell
In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, April 18, Australians watched as the royal family bid farewell to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in a solemn and dignified event befitting the man who contributed so tirelessly to the public for 73 years and embraced life so fully for nearly a century.
In the week leading up to the funeral, the royal family has shared a series of personal and deeply touching photos, showing a side to the prince the public didn’t always get to see and demonstrating how precious he was to his family. Today we take a look at these pictures and remember Philip, who died on April 9, aged 99, as his family does, as a dedicated father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
On the eve of her husband’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth II shared one of her favourite photos of Philip with the public, giving mourners a glimpse into the pair’s private life away from the pomp and ceremony of public duty.
The image was taken by their daughter-in-law, Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, in 2003 and shows the Queen and Philip atop the Coyles of Muick hills in Scotland.
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“Her Majesty and the royal family are grateful for all the messages of condolence from around the world and have been touched to see and hear so many people sharing fond memories of The Duke, in celebration of his life,” the palace said in a statement released alongside the picture.
The palace released two other images this week of the Queen and Philip with their family. The first of which was taken in 2018, and shows the royal grandparents surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle.
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The second was a picture of Prince Philip and Prince George, accompanied by a moving tribute written by Prince William.
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Of course, the week-long photographic tribute wouldn’t have been complete without an image of the Queen and Philip on their wedding day in 1947, back when they were known simply as Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
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In addition to the photos, members of the royal family have released beautiful tributes, including this one by Princess Eugenie where she promises to “look after Granny”. Both Prince William and Prince Harry published letters honouring their grandfather; Harry referred to Philip as “the legend of banter”, while William remembered his “mischievous sense of humour”. All four of the Queen and Philip’s children spoke about their father’s legacy this week, and said he was “the rock” of the family.
However, it is perhaps the final image posted to the royal family’s Instagram page on Saturday (local time) that is the most moving; a simple shot of Philip walking away from the camera, hat tipped, and offering a poignant close to an emotional day in the UK.
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