Queen says Duke of Edinburgh’s death ‘has left a huge void’ in her life

The Queen has said that the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, has “left a huge void in her life”.

In the monarch's first reported comments on Prince Philip's death, she was also said to have described her husband’s passing as a “miracle".

The Queen's words were relayed by the Duke of York, as he left a church service in Windsor.

Her Majesty is understood to have taken huge comfort in the warm tributes that have flooded in from across the globe.

Prince Andrew, 61, described the depth of his mother's grief as he spoke of how she had been coping in recent days.

"The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” he said.

“And she described his passing as a miracle.

“She's contemplating, I think is the way that I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying around to make sure that we're there to support her.

“And I know that there is a huge amount of support, not just for her but but for everybody as we go through this enormous change.”

Details about Prince Philip's final moments emerged on Sunday, as the Countess of Wessex told a member of the public: “It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful.”

The Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal also paid tribute to their father, following a moving statement by Prince Charles on Saturday.

It came as:

• Sir John Major said that the "shared grief" of the Duke's death was an "ideal opportunity" to heal rifts in the Royal family in the wake of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes' interview with Oprah Winfrey. Prince Harry is understood to have arrived in Britain from California on Sunday in order to attend the funeral. His attendance at the service on Saturday will mark his first public appearance in the UK since stepping down as a working member of the Royal family.

• It was confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges' three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will not be attending the funeral, with the guest list restricted to just 30 people because of Covid regulations.

• The BBC is understood to have pulled the broadcast on Monday of a Panorama investigation into its Princess Diana interview following the Duke's death. Insiders defended the broadcaster's handling of the death after a barrage of complaints over the blanket coverage, explaining it had a duty to cover “historic events” rather than “chase ratings”.

• Ahead of the awards ceremony on Sunday night, the chief executive of Bafta paid tribute to the Duke as an "extraordinary part" of the academy's history. Prince Philip was its first president.

• The street to Windsor Castle was blocked off amid fears over safety due to the large numbers of wellwishers arriving to lay flowers and pay their respects.

• The Duke was remembered at church services across the country. In a service at Canterbury Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the congregation: “For the Royal family, as for every other, no words can reach into the depth of sorrow that goes with bereavement.”

The Queen, 94, said private prayers for the Duke on Sunday as she attended a private service at Windsor Castle. The monarch, who is head of the Church of England, has a deep Christian faith on which she will draw during her time of grief.

She is understood to have opted not to attend the worship in the private chapel where the Duke's body remains at rest, his coffin draped in his personal standard and adorned with a wreath of flowers.

The service was also not in St George's Chapel, which is currently closed and is where Prince Philip’s funeral will take place on Saturday.

The Queen has decided that a two-week period of royal mourning will be observed by members of her family, which began when the Duke died on Friday.

On Saturday, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to his father saying in an unscripted televised address: “My dear Papa was a very special person.”

On Sunday, the couple’s other children spoke of their grief as they recalled fond memories of their father.

Prince Andrew, speaking publicly for the first time since his disastrous Newsnight interview about convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in November 2019, described his father as “a remarkable man”.

“I loved him as a father, he was so calm,” he said. “If you had a problem, he would think about it. And that's the great thing that I always think about, is that he was always somebody you could go to, and he would always listen.

“I think another way I would put it is that we've lost almost the grandfather of the nation.

“And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who is feeling it, I think, probably more than everybody else.”

The Duke attended church in Windsor with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor.

Asked how Her Majesty was coping, the Countess of Wessex, 56, said: “Thinking of others before herself.”

Prince Edward, 57, added: “Yes. But bearing up. That wave of affection for him and those lovely stories, they just mean so much.

“The tributes have been just fantastic. That’s really really important and we really do appreciate it.”

The Earl said his father’s death had been “very, very sad” adding: “However much one tries to prepare oneself for something like this, it's still a dreadful shock.

“And we're sort of, trying to come to terms of that.”

He expressed gratitude for the multitude of tributes that have poured in, while his wife revealed she had learnt things about the Duke that she had never heard before.

“I have to say that the extraordinary tributes and the memories that everybody has had and been willing to share has been so fantastic,” the Earl said, as he stood outside in the sunshine flanked by his wife and daughter.

“And it just goes to show, he might have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people.

While Prince Andrew and Prince Edward spoke on camera, the Princess Royal opted to release a written statement.

She said: “You know it’s going to happen but you are never really ready” as she paid tribute to her father as “my teacher, my supporter and my critic”.

The Princess, 70, added: “But mostly it is his example of a life well lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate” as she hailed his ability to treat every person as an individual in their own right.

Their grandchildren, including the Duke of Cambridge, are expected to release tributes over the coming days, before the full details of the funeral service, including the 30 mourners who will attend, are released on Thursday.