LONDON: Princess Anne and Prince Edward have paid tribute to their father Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip who passed away aged 99.
In interviews recorded after the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, Two of Prince Philip‘s children reflected on their loving relationship with their father and the nation’s longest serving consort.
While paying tribute, they shared their personal childhood memories of the Duke and the Queen and their father’s lasting legacy.
Reflecting on her father’s “nomadic” childhood, which saw him smuggled out of Corfu in an orange crate, to settling in Paris as a young child, Princess Anne said: “It must have been really quite difficult because he was that much younger than his sisters.”
“The father figure was very intermittent then went and his mother struggled at that stage, so he had friends elsewhere who took him in during the holidays. He was virtually a refugee as this stage because he had nowhere else to go literally.”
The Duke of Edinburgh was married to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth for 73 years. Talking about the success of their marriage, Edward revealed, “My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours as well and all the events overseas.”
“To have someone that you confide in and smile about some things that you couldn’t perhaps smile about in public is very, very important. To be able to share that with somebody is immensely important,” the youngest of Queen’s children said.
“I’ll remember my father in a number of different ways, both in what he’s done in his public life, for all the organizations that he’s supported and influenced. Obviously, as my father and husband to my mother, all the work that is done there, as a family we’ll probably always remember that more than anything else,” the Earl of Wessex added.
In terms of their father-son relationship, he said, “I probably remember him as any son, hopefully, remembers their father, as someone who was always there, who was always encouraging, but actually never pushing. So, I’m sure along the way, I’ve probably disappointed him in some ways, but I hope in other ways, surprised him.”
Both Princess Anne and Prince Edward reflected on the compassion of their father, and the loving relationship he shared with the Queen.
Princess Anne said: “Without him life will be completely different. But from society’s perspective he was able to keep pace with the kind of technological changes that have such an impact… but above all that it’s not about the technology it’s about the people.”
