- Prince Philip's final moments
- The Queen was not by his side when he died
- Biography reveals new details
On April 9, 2021, Prince Philip (†99) passed away. He was the husband of Queen Elizabeth (†96), after more than 73 years of marriage. Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth reveals new details about the Duke of Edinburgh's final moments in his book 'Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait'. Contrary to earlier reports that the Queen was by his side when he died, Brandreth writes: "In fact, I don’t believe she was."
Prince Philip: His last moments
Brandreth describes Prince Philip lying in a hospital bed in his dressing room at Windsor Castle. That morning, assisted by a nurse, he went to the bathroom. On his return, he felt weak and asked for help to get back into bed.
"The nurse called the Duke’s valet and the Queen’s page, Paul Whybrew, for help — and he died before the Queen could be called. The Queen wasn’t yet up. And she wasn’t called until after a doctor had come and pronounced the Duke dead."
Gyles Brandreth, who knew both Prince Philip and the Queen for decades, describes the deep connection between the two in his book.
Despite knowing Prince Philip for over 40 years, he told 'The Times' that members of the royal family offer kindness, not friendship: "The Duke showed me great friendliness over 40 years, but royalty offer you friendliness, not friendship, and you have to remember the difference."
Prince Philip's funeral took place on April 17, 2021 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Due to the pandemic, only around 30 close family members and friends attended. The ceremony, which was planned by Prince Philip himself, featured a Land Rover hearse and music that paid tribute to his military roots, including the Royal Navy Hymn.
Former palace spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson told 'People' that the reduced size of the funeral was probably just to Prince Philip's taste: "No fuss, no bother. Right through his life, he never knew what all the fuss was about."
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip: The beginning of their love affair
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip first met in 1934 at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Prince George, Duchess of Kent. They met again in 1939 when Elizabeth accompanied her parents and her sister, Princess Margaret, on a visit to Dartmouth Naval College. On November 20, 1947, they married in Westminster Abbey.
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1952
On the occasion of her 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, Queen Elizabeth made a rare public tribute to her husband and said: "He is someone who doesn’t take easily to compliments, but he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years.” She added: " “And I…owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim."
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Following Prince Philip's death at the age of 99, a former senior palace official told People that the family would stand by the Queen, but that she would continue to do her duty: "Her family will step up and be by her side, but she will carry on. She understands that she has a job to do, and [Philip] would have wanted her to crack on."
Queen Elisabeth died seventeen months after the death of her beloved husband on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96. She was laid to rest next to Prince Philip in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, part of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
