Sophie’s tears for Philip: Countess of Wessex praises 'amazing' Queen as she waves to crowd mourning Prince Philip at Windsor where Prince Edward and Andrew have rallied around their mother while officials remove floral tributes due to Covid rules
- Sophie, 56, and husband Prince Edward, 57, left the castle grounds with windows down to greet mourners
- Duke will lie at rest in Windsor Castle before a funeral ceremony will take place at St George's Chapel
- Britons expressed their sorrow at the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh and passed on their good wishes to Queen
- He spent final days at Windsor with Queen, who is understood to have been with him when he died yesterday
- Mourners continue to lay flowers and tributes to royal, despite repeated warnings about public health
- Came as artillery in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Gibraltar join Royal Navy warships in firing 41-shot saluteA tearful Countess of Wessex today paid tribute to the 'amazing' Queen as the monarch began her life without Prince Philip, her 'strength and stay' throughout their 73-year marriage and her 68-year reign.
Sophie, 56, and her husband Prince Edward, 57, left Windsor Castle with their windows down as they showed their appreciation to mourners who had gathered to lay flowers after Philip's death yesterday aged 99.
The scenes have been repeated at other royal residences including Buckingham Palace, where well-wishers - some dabbing their eyes - waited patiently to lay flowers - which were then removed by officials enforcing government directives to stay at home.
The Wessexes and Prince Andrew have been supporting their mother the Queen, 94, at Windsor today as she grieves for her 'rock'. Sky News correspondent Rhiannon Mills revealed that Sophie 'has tears in her eyes' as she said through the car window 'the Queen has been amazing'.
The Duke of Edinburgh's coffin is in Her Majesty's private chapel of worship at their Berkshire home before being moved to the nearby Albert Memorial Chapel later today, where he will rest during seven days of national mourning ahead of his hugely scaled-back funeral next Saturday.
And as artillery in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Gibraltar join Royal Navy warships in firing 41 rounds in 41 minutes to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, it also emerged:
- Prince Philip spent his final days at Windsor, enjoying fresh air and spring sunshine, before becoming gravely ill on Thursday night. Her Majesty was with him when he died on Friday morning;
- Royals are facing a dilemma over who to invite to the funeral due to Covid rules restricting numbers to 30;
- Prince Harry has spoken to his father the Prince of Wales and cousins Beatrice and Eugenie after Philip's death and plans return to Britain - but pregnant Meghan Markle is expected to stay in California;
- Philip's funeral could be Harry's chance to repair 'deep damage' caused by Oprah interview, royal experts say.
The Countess of Wessex today left Windsor Castle with her window wound down to show her appreciation to well wishers who have gathered at Windsor Castle follow the death of the Duke of Edinburgh
A tearful well-wisher waits in line to lay flowers in memory of Prince Philip outside Buckingham Palace this morning
People stop to look at flowers left outside Windsor Castle in Berkshire following Philip's death. Britons have defied public health advice to stay at home and continued to lay flowers
Children joining their parents to pay tribute to Philip outside Windsor Castle, where socially distanced crowds gathered today
The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrive at Windsor Castle to join the Queen today. Prince Edward was the first to arrive
Prince Andrew arrives at Windsor Castle to visit his mother the Queen, as she mourns her husband Prince Philip today
The Duke of York drove himself (pictured) to support Her Majesty minutes, arriving shortly after his brother Edward
Britain continues to mourn the Duke of Edinburgh and the public are still arriving at Windsor to lay bouquets, which are being cleared away by officials because of the pandemic
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The Queen's youngest child Prince Edward was the first to arrive to support his mother again today, having made the short trip from his Surrey home. Prince Andrew, who lives in Windsor Castle's grounds, was also seen arriving after 10am. Prince Charles stayed with the Queen until late last night.
The bouquets, flowers, cards, Union Flags and balloons are being moved away by staff almost as soon as they are left - but royal aides insist they will all be saved and looked at by the Royal Family inside the grounds of Windsor and Buckingham Palace.
Palace security have even put up signs urging people not to congregate, but waves of mourners are still arriving to pay their respects to Her Majesty's devoted husband, who dedicated his life to public service and supporting her.
Well-wishers, all respecting social distancing and wearing masks, laid their tributes and briefly stood to pay their respects, with some wiping away tears or quietly singing hymns before returning home.
Philip is expected to be laid to rest in the Royal Vault during his private family funeral at St George's Chapel next Saturday, stripped back due to Britain's ongoing lockdown, with only 30 relatives able to attend. Britons are being warned to stay at home and watch on TV to avoid spreading coronavirus.
His grandson Prince Harry is expected to return to the UK and be among the small number of mourners at the funeral, but it is unlikely his pregnant wife Meghan will accompany him, weeks after the couple accused the Royal Family of racism in their bombshell Oprah interview while Philip lay in hospital.
Details about Prince Philip's 'peaceful' death have emerged, with his wife of 73-years understood to have been at his bedside when he slipped away yesterday morning after becoming gravely ill late on Thursday, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Gun salutes marking the death of the Duke of Edinburgh are to take place across the UK, in Gibraltar and at sea at Midday. There will also be cannons firing across the Commonwealth, including in Australia, where a salute rang out in capital Canberra overnight.
Saluting batteries will fire 41 rounds at one round every minute in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as Gibraltar and from Royal Navy warships, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Gun salutes have been fired to mark significant national events since as early as at least the 18th century.
They were used to mark the deaths of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965. The public is being encouraged to observe the gun salutes, which will be broadcast online and on television, from home.
A security official stands alongside a sign requesting the public not to leave floral and other tributes to Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh outside Buckingham Palace, after his death yesterday
The Queen and Philip at Windsor Castle in October 2018 after Princess Eugenie's wedding
The Queen is also expected to broadcast a televised message to the nation at some stage over the next few days, although this is dependent on how she feels.
In normal times, there would be early morning rehearsals over the next week for a gun carriage and procession through the streets of London, and another in Windsor.
The day before his funeral, the coffin would be moved across the road from Chapel Royal to the Queen's Chapel to allow an easier transfer to the gun carriage.
The funeral itself would be held in Windsor, while a military procession would take place from St James's Palace, down Marlborough Road and up The Mall.
The gun carriage holding the coffin would then pass around the Queen Victoria Memorial, Buckingham Palace and up Constitution Hill to Wellington Arch.
Members of the military would lead the procession, with the royal family and household walking behind - but the Queen would be expected to go straight to Windsor.
At Wellington Arch, there would be a royal salute before a ceremonial transfer sees with the coffin moved to a Land Rover hearse or car and taken to Windsor.
On arrival in Windsor, there would be a slow procession driven up the Long Walk with drummers, military and members of the royal family following behind.
It would move up the Long Walk, through Cambridge Gate and then onto Park Street, High Street, past the Guildhall and Castle Hill and in through the Henry VIII gate.
The arrangements are codenamed Forth Bridge, after the Scottish landmark and Unesco World Heritage Site.
The railway bridge, crossing the Forth Estuary in Scotland, which opened in 1890, remains one of the greatest cantilever trussed bridges
Plans for the aftermath of the duke's death have been in place for many years, and were updated and reviewed regularly by Buckingham Palace staff in consultation with the Queen and Philip.
Complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, Forth Bridge has been adjusted to take account of the crisis.
The duke's funeral was due to have a strong military presence in recognition of his naval career and his links with the armed forces.
But the prospect of creating a spectacle that could potentially attract hundreds of thousands of people means there is no longer expected to be a military procession in London or any processions through Windsor.
A military involvement is expecteijioiiod to take place within the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The funeral service is expected to take place at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in an official wedding photograph in 1947
Those servicemen and women taking part will rapidly begin their preparations, from practising routines to polishing helmets and swords.
Royal dressers will be fastidiously choosing and preparing black mourning ensembles.
Thames Valley Police will be tasked with dealing with the security needed in the days ahead, and preventing mass gatherings.
The Royal Households have a long history of making detailed plans for royal funerals.
Arrangements for the Queen Mother's - codenamed Tay Bridge - were 22 years old by the time she died at the age of 101.
London Bridge is the codename for the Queen's funeral plans.
In 2004, thieves broke into a car which belonged to a palace press officer at a motorway service station and made off with a briefcase which contained the secret plans regarding the Queen .
But the case and its confidential contents were found and returned by a member of the public.
It was once said that Philip, who was known for his acerbic wit, was amused by the fact that many of those involved in the planning of his funeral had themselves died before him.
Not all royal death arrangements have been so meticulously ordered.
Queen Victoria died at the age of 81 in 1901 after a period of ill health, but the Earl Marshal, who was responsible for the funeral, had no plans in place.
The complex arrangements, including transporting Victoria's body across the Solent from the Isle of Wight and facilitating a two-hour military procession through London involving thousands of people, had to be organised from scratch in 10 days.
In contrast, her son, Edward VII, insisted his own funeral was planned well in advance.
The sun on his face and a rug on his lap: RICHARD KAY reveals Prince Philip's final days at Windsor Castle with his 'Lilibet' - the Queen - as he neared 100
For the Queen there was one saving grace: that she and Prince Philip were together at the end. After more than seven decades of their lives entwined in both love and duty, this may be the smallest of consolations.
His austerely decorated bedroom overlooking the East Terrace at Windsor Castle was still linked by the dressing room that gives on to his wife's more comfortably furnished suite.
But it was his physical presence – so reassuring in the aftermath of so much family drama – from which in recent weeks she has drawn strength.
No longer the decisive man of action who had devoted a lifetime to supporting her, she was now able to repay him.
Domestic timetables such as mealtimes were torn up to accommodate him when he felt he was strong enough to join her.
Even with failing health signalling that his life was drawing to a close, the two were still able to enjoy time with each other as they always had.
In recent weeks he would often sleep for much of the day, but there were moments of great lucidity and joyful togetherness.
For the Queen there was one saving grace: that she and Prince Philip (pictured in March 2021) were together at the end. After more than seven decades of their lives entwined in both love and duty, this may be the smallest of consolations
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is pictured leaving King Edward VII's Hospital in central London on March 16, 2021
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, where The Queen and the Duke are returning together for the second national lockdown
Even with failing health signalling that his life was drawing to a close, the Queen and Prince Philip (pictured in 2020) were still able to enjoy time with each other as they always had
Some are bound to focus on that looming centenary of Philip's 100th birthday in June, which will no longer be the celebration once envisaged. Pictured: Philip in 2020
His austerely decorated bedroom overlooking the East Terrace at Windsor Castle was still linked by the dressing room that gives on to his wife's more comfortably furnished suite. Pictured: The Queen and Philip in 2015
No longer the decisive man of action who had devoted a lifetime to supporting her, she was now able to repay him. Pictured: The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward
Prince Philip is pictured with (far left to right) Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Mrs C.J. Latta and American opera singer Dorothy Kirsten
Prince Philip, in his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines, attended a Parade to mark the finale of the 1664 Global Challenge in 2017. It was his final solo appearance at the official engagement
One such moment came when he dropped his reading glasses. A footman in attendance leapt forward to pick them up.
'Never mind,' the duke said, raising his arm. 'I'll do it.' And so he did, bending down to the floor. On another occasion the Queen was overheard reflecting that her husband of 73 years was refusing to use his hearing aid. 'It means we have to shout,' she said.
Some are bound to focus on that looming centenary of Philip's 100th birthday in June, which will no longer be the celebration once envisaged.
But the duke was not a sentimental man. For him it was far more important to die at home in his own bed, the date immaterial.
That it should have been at Windsor Castle where his mother Princess Alice, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was born was of infinitely more significance.
In recent days he had been often confined to his room, but in the weeks since his release from hospital last month – he spent 28 days in the King Edward VII's and St Bartholomew's hospitals – he has been calmer and quieter.
Food would be sent up on a tray but he often had little appetite.
Routines inevitably had to change. He cancelled his 7.30am calling tray of morning tea that a valet or page would bring to his room where, among the few personal possessions he always kept on display, there were two framed photographs – one of his wife and the other of his mother.
Intriguingly, among the family photographs of children and grandchildren he always kept on his office desk at Windsor, was one of Prince Charles and Princess Diana taken on their wedding day.
During her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012, the Queen cut a solitary figure at St Paul's Cathedral without the Duke, who was in hospital with a bladder inflection at the time
The Queen and Philip welcomed a new great-grandchild - their eighth - with the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. Pictured left to right in June: Prince Philip, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Doria Ragland, and Meghan
The Queen and Philip, pictured at Broadlands in 2007, shared an irreplaceable bond - united at key moments of history, witnessed from the unique viewpoint of a monarch and her consort
The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke pictured against a platinum-textured backdrop in recognition of their special anniversary in 2017. The Queen is wearing a cream day dress by Angela Kelly and a 'Scarab' brooch in yellow gold, carved ruby and diamond, designed by Andrew Grima, and given as a personal gift from the Duke to The Queen in 1966
The Queen and Prince Philip enjoy the spectacle, as a swarm of bees cause concern prior to The Queens Company Review at Windsor Castle in April 2003
On those days when he felt strong enough to venture out of his room, he dressed in a shirt and jumper, pressed trousers and polished shoes. There was a valet to draw a bath but according to insiders at least until very recently Philip was still dressing himself.
On warm days he asked for a chair to be taken outside and he would sit in the sunshine with a rug over his legs. Often he would nod off.
Walking was difficult and around his apartment he used a stick. Occasionally he would allow himself to be pushed in a wheelchair but staff were wary of suggesting it. 'When it first appeared in the private rooms he shouted: 'Get that bloody thing out of my sight!', recalls an aide.
This unwillingness to betray any sign of frailty was characteristic.
Philip and the Queen laugh at the Royal Highland Games at Braemar in September 2003, in front of Tony and Cherie Blair
Princess Elizabeth photographed in Clarence House in July 1951, with the Duke of Edinburgh
Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Imperial State Crown, and Prince Philip, in uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, wave from Buckingham Palace in London after the Coronation in June 1953
Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after her coronation, on June 2, 1953. With her are (left to right): Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
The Queen holds the Orb and Sceptre at her Coronation in June 1953, which took place at Westminster Abbey in London
The Queen at a polo match with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1955
The then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke with their two young children, Princess Anne and Prince Charles, outside Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire on September 19, 1952
A man speaks and gestures as he brings flowers to Buckingham Palace after Prince Philip died at the age of 99
But for the pandemic, things might have been so very different. At Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate Philip had adjusted to a new kind of life, sometimes with the Queen but often alone or entertaining friends such as Countess Mountbatten, the former Lady Penny Romsey, to whom he taught the sport of carriage driving.
When lockdown commenced last March Philip was whisked to Windsor to join the Queen. He did return to his beloved Wood Farm – thanks once again to the Queen. After cutting their stay at Balmoral last summer to just six weeks, they then spent three weeks at the Norfolk bolthole.
With its simple furnishings and modest size, it was the closest the couple came to leading an ordinary non-palace life.
On one occasion at a picnic a domestic servant, unfamiliar with royal tradition, mixed a salad dressing – only for the Queen to exclaim when she arrived a little after her husband: 'I can't believe the Duke of Edinburgh has made the vinaigrette, he knows I like to do it.'
Philip himself loved the solitude of north Norfolk. When he was there alone he had just a valet and a cook to take care of him. But after his illness and with the country in a third lockdown the prospect of him returning to Wood Farm was impossible.
Instead, he had only one ambition: he was determined not to end his days in hospital. 'When he came back to Windsor he said he was not going back to any hospital,' an insider said.
The Queen wearing a tartan skirt with corgis beside her and Prince Philip wearing a kilt in Balmoral in 1994
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh laugh as they bid farewell to Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina at Windsor Castle after their state visit in April 2014
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, on honeymoon, photographed in the grounds of Broadlands looking at their wedding photographs, on November 23, 1947
Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Balmoral in September 1952
The infant Prince Charles is pictured in the lap of his mother, the then Princess Elizabeth, with his father Prince Philip in 1948
Instructions were issued that he should be made as comfortable as possible – and if that meant changing timetables for meals so be it.
'His entire life had been conducted to strict routines and since retiring he didn't have to follow them and it was agreed that it should continue like that for him,' says an insider.
'No fuss was the constant refrain,' says the insider.
Even so he was well enough to still speak to family and close friends on the telephone – unlike the Queen, Philip was not a fan of Zoom calls.
The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Princess Anne at Balmoral in August 1972
The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne preparing a barbecue on the Estate at Balmoral Castle in August 1972
Prince Philip and Prince Charles share a joke at a Guards Polo Club tea party in 1999
Princess Elizabeth, Britain's future queen, and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten shown at Buckingham Palace following their engagement, in November 1947. On her engagement finger, Elizabeth wears a three-diamond ring which she wears to this day
The Queen toasts Prince Philip at the opening of the Millennium Dome in London on New Year's Eve 1999
But he was frustrated by Covid restrictions which didn't just limit visits by the family but also meant difficulties in the nursing care he needed.
There was no dramatic decline in his health but it was gradual. Earlier this week, staff said Philip was 'on good form'. He was still reading and writing letters.
Remember, this was a man who prided himself on his fitness and who rarely complained. Even so he was not pain free.
And rehearsals for his death were already under way. Late at night, a team of footmen at Buckingham Palace had been practising the placing of the official typed statement about the duke's death.
Yesterday the task was conducted by two of the Palace's foot-women.
Philip, who did so much to modernise Buckingham Palace, would surely have approved.
Queen 'was at Philip's bedside when he died': Prince Charles leaves Windsor Castle hours after his father's death
The Queen is thought to have been at the bedside of her 'beloved husband' of 73 years Prince Philip when he passed away 'peacefully' at Windsor Castle yesterday.
The Duke of Edinburgh, the nation's longest-serving consort, died in his private apartment just two months and a day before what would have been his 100th birthday.
Though palace officials declined to 'go into any specifics' about the nature of his passing, it is understood his frail condition worsened overnight on Thursday and that insiders had warned he was 'gravely ill'. However, any talk of whisking the elderly duke to hospital was reportedly quickly dismissed by the Queen.
Philip, who recently spent a month being treated for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition, is thought to have died suddenly and unexpectedly, but peacefully in the company of his dear 'Lilibet'. The Telegraph reported that the duke had wanted to pass away 'in his own bed' and 'on his own terms'.
One well-placed source told the paper: 'He spent most of the four weeks he was in hospital trying to get home. They operated on his heart in a bid to give him a little longer, maybe with the 100th birthday in mind. But he didn't really care about that.' They added: 'There is no way he would have wanted to die in hospital.'
In a short but poignant statement at noon, Buckingham Palace said: 'It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
'His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.'
As tributes poured in from around the world, the Palace's focus was on the royal family's aching personal bereavement. 'They are a family in mourning,' one official said last night.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, was seen leaving Windsor Castle hours after the news of his father's passing. The Prince of Wales, 72, drove from his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire to the 94-year-old monarch's Berkshire residence ahead of the public announcement of the duke's passing.
Sitting in the front passenger seat of a silver Tesla, the prince looked on as he pulled away. It is not known whether Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, had accompanied him on what is their 16th wedding anniversary.
A source close to Charles said he was 'comforted' by the fact he and his father had been in touch more regularly than ever in recent weeks and months - and that they 'had said all the things that needed to be said'.
The source said: 'It is some small comfort today that the prince was in much more regular contact with his father in recent weeks and months than he otherwise might have been. He was the only family member who was able to visit him in hospital and he was at Windsor as recently as the week before last. They spoke a great deal.'
Friends were at pains to point out that the relationship between father and son was also warmer than it had ever been. One said: 'The idea that their relationship was strained, certainly in recent years, couldn't have been further from the truth. And that's an important thing to remember in all that is being written.
'There was genuine love, affection and understanding there. Which is all anyone holds dear at the end.'
There was no immediate personal reaction from the wider Royal Family, such was their grief. But in a previously recorded tribute to his father, Philip's youngest son Prince Edward told ITV: 'My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas. To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public.
'To be able to share that is immensely important.'
Recalling his humour 'which always came through and the twinkle in his eye', Edward added that he would remember his father 'for what he has done in his public life for all the organisations he has supported and influenced'. Philip's daughter Princess Anne told the broadcaster: 'Without him life will be completely different.'
Harry and Meghan posted a message on their website thanking the duke for his service. 'You will be greatly missed,' it read. The prince was last night said to be 'likely' to fly from his home in the US, although it is unclear whether his heavily pregnant wife will join him.
At around 10.40am there was a flurry of police activity at the castle before Prince Andrew, who lives closest at Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, arrived at a back entrance to the Queen's private apartments five minutes later. Then at 11.15am another family member, believed to be Prince Edward, arrived to console their devastated mother.
News of Philip's death, after being confirmed by the on-call royal doctor and disseminated to members of the Royal Family, was relayed to the Prime Minister and relevant arms of government - via a simple message: 'Forth Bridge is down', the official codeword for the Duke of Edinburgh's death. Around the country, Union flags began to be flown at half-mast and will remain so until after the funeral next Saturday.
As the Queen lost her husband, and the country mourns one of its greatest servants, it also emerged:
Prince Charles was seen leaving Windsor Castle this evening, hours after the news of his father's death broke. The Prince of Wales drove from his Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire to the monarch's Berkshire residence this morning
Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip at just after midday Friday- and described the Queen's 'deep sorrow'
Philip has served Britain since his youth and the world is mourning his death at Windsor Castle, with the Royal Family releasing this photo and tribute shortly after his death
Good-looking and blond-haired, the Prince of Greece impressed the young Princess by jumping over the college tennis nets at their first publicised meeting. Pictured: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in a wedding photograph in 1947. The couple were married for 73 years (pictured in a portrait taken to mark the 60th anniversary of The Queen's Accession in 2012)
As with all major royal announcements, including births, marriages and deaths, Prince Philip's passing was marked with a statement displayed outside Buckingham Palace. It was later removed to avoid people gathering around it in the pandemic
A period of official mourning has begun that will last for a month.
Uniformed staff from the Royal Household and officers in the Armed Forces will wear mourning bands.
Following tradition, a formal notice announcing Philip's death was posted on the gates at Buckingham Palace by two mask-wearing members of staff. But it was removed within an hour in an effort to deter crowds from forming during a time of pandemic.
Palace officials asked members of the public not to gather outside any royal residence and to consider making a donation to charity instead of leaving flowers. An online book of condolence was set up on the royal website www.royal.uk.
It is likely that Covid requirements will force wholesale changes to the funeral plans, which have been in place for many decades.
Philip's coffin should have been brought from Windsor to London to lie in state, but such an undertaking, which could attract crowds, is likely to be scrapped. Instead it will remain at Windsor until the funeral.
Philip was the longest-serving consort in British history and retired from public life in 2017, largely moving to Sandringham in Norfolk. At the start of the first lockdown last year he returned to Windsor to be with his wife and according to sources they have since enjoyed some of their happiest months together.
Boris Johnson paid tribute last night to the duke, saying he would be remembered for his 'steadfast support' of the Queen.
The Prime Minister added: 'He was an environmentalist, and a champion of the natural world long before it was fashionable.
'With his Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme he shaped and inspired the lives of countless young people and at literally tens of thousands of events he fostered their hopes and encouraged their ambitions.'
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