Princess Anne Says Father Prince Philip 'Has Been My Teacher, My Supporter & My Critic' Throughout Her Life In Touching Tribute
April 11 2021, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
Two days after Prince Philip's death, his only daughter, Princess Anne, wrote a touching tribute to the lake duke.
"You know it’s going to happen but you are never really ready. My father has been my teacher, my supporter and my critic, but mostly it is his example of a life well lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate," the letter, which was released on Sunday, April 11, began.
"His ability to treat every person as an individual in their own right with their own skills comes through all the organisations with which he was involved," she continued. "I regard it as an honour and a privilege to have been asked to follow in his footsteps and it has been a pleasure to have kept him in touch with their activities."
She concluded, "I know how much he meant to them, in the UK, across the Commonwealth and in the wider world. I would like to emphasise how much the family appreciate the messages and memories of so many people whose lives he also touched. We will miss him but he leaves a legacy which can inspire us all."
In a prerecorded interview, the 70-year-old had nothing but kind words to say about Philip, who died on Friday, April 9, at 99 years old.
"Without him, life will be completely different," the princess said in the clip. "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."
Meanwhile, the rest of Philip's children — Prince Charles, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew — have also spoken out about how much their dad meant to them.
"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," Charles said in a video message, while Edward said his father's death "has been a bit of a shock."
"We’ve lost, almost, the grandfather of the nation," Andrew, who stepped back from royal duties in 2019, said. "And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who’s feeling it probably more than everybody else."
