Prince Charles says Prince Philip would be ‘deeply touched’ by global grief

Prince Charles says his father would be “amazed” by the outpouring of grief around the world as the Prince of Wales described Prince Philip’s deep love of the Commonwealth.

Prince Charles has spoken for the first time since the death of his father, Prince Philip, on Friday.

Making a brief statement outside of his Gloucestershire home, Highgrove, an emotional Prince of Wales said he and the royal family miss the Duke of Edinburgh “enormously”.

“My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him, and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that.

“It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.”

Prince Charles also thanked those in the Commonwealth, which includes Australia, for their condolences.

He said that Prince Philip was dedicated to the Commonwealth.

The Prince of Wales pays tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh on behalf of The Royal Family. pic.twitter.com/tDP0rkKGzc

— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) April 10, 2021

“I particularly wanted to say that my father, for I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth,” he added.

Prince Charles was not always thought to have had the smoothest relationship with his father.

Prince Philip once referred to their vastly different outlooks: “He’s a romantic and I’m a pragmatist. That means we see things differently.

Prince Charles said his father would be “deeply touched” by the outpuring of grief around the globe. Picture: Twitter

“And because I don’t see things as a romantic would, I’m unfeeling.”

Prince Charles had followed in his father’s footsteps by attending Cheam school in Berkshire and then Gordonstoun in Scotland.

Prince Philip flourished amid Gordonstoun’s outdoors-focused regime, but Prince Charles famously struggled as his interests tended more towards theatre and the arts.

‘DIDN’T SUFFER FOOLS’

The Duke of Edinburgh passed away on Friday, the day of his eldest son’s 16th wedding anniversary.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, were married on April 9, and chose not to mark the day with any personal photographs as they normally would.

Instead, it was a more sombre occasion as Prince Philip’s death was publicly announced.

Before making an official comment early on Sunday morning (AEST), the Prince of Wales appeared in a BBC documentary on TV where royal watchers heard him pay tribute to his father, saying he “didn’t suffer fools gladly”.

The Prince of Wales, Charles, speaks to the BBC. Picture: Supplied

He also said he would “want to be remembered as an individual in his own right”.

Prince Charles went on to praise the support, energy and guidance his father gave the Queen during their 73 years of marriage.

“His energy was astonishing in supporting [her] and doing it for such a long time, and in some extraordinary way being able to go on doing it for so long,” the heir apparent said.

“What he’s done has amounted to an astonishing achievement, I think.”

He also reflected on his father’s direct and candid personality.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

“He didn’t suffer fools gladly, so if you said anything that was in any way ambiguous he’d go ‘make up your mind’, so perhaps it made you choose your words carefully,” he said.

“He was very good at showing you how to do things and instructing you how to do things.”

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall had a civil ceremony in 2005 at Windsor Guildhall and St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, with Prince William serving as best man.

At the time of their marriage, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended and posed for formal family photographs.

Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day. His father died on the same date. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

Prince Philip’s funeral will be held inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and will be a toned down affair with 30 guests, including members of the royal family and possibly some heads of state from Commonwealth countries.

It is also the same place where Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank.

Prince Philip is reported to have requested a funeral without fuss and will not lie in state – where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin.

Instead he will lie at rest in the Royal Vault within St George’s Chapel, where he will wait to be reunited with his beloved Queen.

Originally published as Prince Charles says Prince Philip would be ‘deeply touched’ by global grief