Queen Elizabeth and the royal family have paid tribute to Prince Philip on the first anniversary of his death with an elegy which they shared on their official royal social media accounts on Saturday, April 9.
The poem, titled The Patriarch, was read and written by Simone Armitage over piano music while a video montage showed the Duke of Edinburgh at various points in his life, including his childhood, his marriage to the Queen and the birth of their children.
“Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the first anniversary of his death,” read the caption added to the post.
The poem, which was first published on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral last year, pays tribute to the Duke’s career in the Royal Navy and described the Duke’s generation as “husbands to duty”, “great-grandfathers from birth”, and “last of the great avuncular magicians.”
The Royal Family’s Instagram account has also shared an iconic black and white photo of the Queen and the Duke leaving St Paul’s Cathedral together in 1968 in a nod to the 70-day countdown to Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.
While the Queen and other members of the Royal Family attended Philip’s memorial service on March 29 at Westminster Abbey, it is believed that on Saturday, the Queen remained at Windsor Castle where she marked the anniversary of her husband’s passing privately, they were married for 73 years.
Philip, who the Queen once called her “constant strength and guide”, died “peacefully” from natural causes at age 99 at Winsor Castle. His funeral was held at St George’s Chapel eight days later on April 17 with attendance limited to just 30 family members and close friends because of Covid-19 restrictions.
The Guardian also reports that at a recent thanksgiving service for the Duke’s life, the Dean of Windsor, Right Rev David Conner paid tribute to the Duke’s achievement and shortcomings, describing him as a “passionate commitment” man who devoted his “intellectual and physical energy” to a “host of down to earth enterprises.”