In a heartwarming revelation during the BBC documentary, Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, Princess Eugenie opened up about the extraordinary bond she shared with her late grandfather, Prince Philip.
The Princess delved into the connection she had with the Duke of Edinburgh, shedding light on two poignant moments that showcased the depth of their relationship.
Eugenie recalled a touching moment when she introduced her newborn son, August, to Prince Philip.
“We named August, August Philip because grandpa had been such a huge, inspiring character in my life,” she said.
“I brought little August to come and meet him and told him that we’d named him after him and it was such a lovely moment. We were very lucky to do that.”
Beyond the name, Princess Eugenie reminisced about a thoughtful wedding gift bestowed upon her by her grandfather on her special day in 2018. Prince Philip, known for his various hobbies, including a lesser-known love for painting, gifted Eugenie a handmade painting of flowers.
“It was so nice, it’s now sitting in my house in London and I’m so proud of it, you know?” she said.
While Philip was widely recognised for his dedication to public service, military achievements, and love for carriage driving, his artistic side was a more private aspect of his life.
Expanding on Eugenie’s heartfelt insights, the softer side of Prince Philip was further explored in the ITV documentary, Philip: Prince, Husband, Father. The documentary highlighted a poignant moment during Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, wherein the Duke of Edinburgh discreetly provided solace to Prince William, thinking they were away from the cameras’ view.
The documentary heard how Prince Philip “gently touched William on the back to comfort him” in an “awful, awful moment” when he thought they were “out of shot of the cameras”.
The moving account, which revealed a hidden softer side to Philip, comes from Martin Palmer, who co-founded The Alliance of Religions and Conservation with Prince Philip. Palmer says in the documentary that the late Duke personally relayed the anecdote to him.
“He knew what it was like to be a member of a dysfunctional family and he did his damnedest to make sure that did not happen to his grandchildren,” Palmer reveals in the programme, according to The Telegraph.
“You’ve just got to watch that moment and realise here is a grandfather who is trying to help his young, very vulnerable grandson struggle through this awful, awful moment.”
Prince Phillip was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years, he was the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch. He died peacefully at Windsor Castle in 2021, at the age of 99 from natural causes.