Princess Eugenie has paid a heartfelt, personal tribute to her “grandpa” Prince Philip, saying he would have been “so touched by all the tributes that have been shared with me the past few days”.
The post included a pair of photos: a picture of her and older sister Princess Beatrice laughing with Philip at the 2012 Epsom Derby, and another of the Duke of Edinburgh patting a young Eugenie on the head.
“Dearest Grandpa, we all miss you,” Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York, wrote on Instagram.
The 31-year-old, who recently gave birth to her first child, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank, went on to say that many people had shared stories with her of meeting her beloved grandpa.
“People remember sitting next to you at a dinner, or shaking your hand once, who remember you saying hello in passing, or remember how much their DofE award meant to them,” she wrote.
Eugenie said Philip taught her to cook, paint and what to read, and will “remember laughing at your jokes and asking about your spectacular life and service in the navy”.
“I remember incinerating the sausages and you swooping in to save the day,” she continued. “I remember your hands and your laugh and your favourite beer. I will remember you in your children, your grandchildren and great grandchildren. Thank you for your dedication and love for us all and especially Granny, who we will look after for you. With all my love, Eugenie.”
Fans of Eugenie’s were touched by her “beautiful words”, with one writing, “Thinking of you all at this sad time.”
Another added, “So sorry for your loss. This is a beautiful tribute.” While a third commented, “Sending lots of good wishes to you & your family. Especially the Queen.”
Earlier in the week, Eugenie’s older cousins Prince William and Harry shared their own tributes to their grandfather, with the Duke of Sussex hailing the long-serving royal as a “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ’til the end”. Meanwhile, William said in his own personal message on Monday that his grandfather’s century of life was defined by service “to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family”.
And it comes just a day after Queen Elizabeth II returned to royal duties, just four days after the death of her beloved husband. The Queen kept calm and carried on as usual, and hosted a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday to mark the retirement of her household’s most senior official. It was previously reported that the 94-year-old monarch would enter an eight-day mourning period leading up to Philip’s funereal this Saturday, however it looks as though HRM has cut that short.
Philip’s royal ceremonial funeral will take place on Saturday, April 17, from 3pm (local time) at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Channel Nine will be broadcasting the funeral live from 11pm (AEST) on Saturday.