Prince Harry has today spoken of how his beloved grandfather Prince Philip died ‘peacefully and happily’.
In a touching moment of grief, the Duke of Sussex spoke lovingly of his late ‘grandpa’ during the latest instalment of his and his wife’s Netflix docuseries.
Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, during the coronavirus pandemic, aged 99. His death rocked the Royal Family.
Speaking of Prince Philip’s death during the fifth episode of the six-part Harry & Meghan docuseries, the Prince Harry said: ‘I was actually really happy for my grandfather. He went quietly. He went peacefully. He went happily.’
Prince Philip died in April 2021. He is pictured in London in March 2017
Prince Harry, pictured on Harry & Meghan on Netflix, paid tribute to his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh
The Prince said his grandfather died quietly and peacefully. He is pictured at the funeral of Prince Philip with his brother, Prince William, right
Prince Harry was living in California when his grandfather’s death was announced. At the time, he had a film crew recording his and his wife’s Netflix show.
During the fifth episode, released on Thursday morning, Prince Harry is seen scrambling to organise a flight from California to London to attend the funeral of the Duke if Edinburgh.
Touching footage is shown of tributes being paid at the time back in the UK, as hundreds of black cab taxi drivers lined the Mall outside Buckingham Palace to honour Prince Philip, who famously rode around London in a black cab.
Prince Harry also paid his own tribute to his grandfather, describing him as ‘cheeky right till the end’.
‘My grandfather was a man of service, honor and great humour,’ the Duke said. ‘He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince and a duke.
‘But to me, he was my grandpa. Master of the barbecue, legend of banter and cheeky right till the end.’
Prince Harry walks with his brother, Prince William during the funeral of their grandfather in April 2021
The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered with his Personal Standard, is carried on the purpose-built Land Rover Defender followed by the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex, the Earl of Snowdon, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence outside St George’s Chapel
Prince Philip’s death came after Harry and Meghan stunned the world by announcing they were stepping back from royal duties in January, 2020.
Then in March 2021, little more than a month before the Duke’s death, Harry and Meghan took part in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During the sit-down, which was broadcast while Prince Philip was suffering from ill health and the Queen herself was reportedly unwell, the couple described how unhappy they had been in the Firm, and they tabled allegations of racism within the palace.
It prompted a stoic response from Buckingham Palace with the now famous phrase ‘some recollections may vary,’ with palace insisting at the time that ‘Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members’.
But the move by Harry and Meghan reportedly left the Queen ‘devastated’, ‘bewildered’ and ‘disappointed’, according to a royal expert.
Also in the bombshell Netflix documentary:
Earl of Snowdon David Armstrong-Jones, Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince Andrew, Duke of York follow Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin
The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered with his Personal Standard, is carried on the purpose built Land Rover Defender followed by the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Cambridge, Peter Phillips, the Duke of Sussex, the Earl of Snowdon and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
Prince Philip’s coffin is loaded onto the Land Rover during his funeral service at Windsor Castle during his funeral
Asked to describe what it was like to head back to the UK, Prince Harry added: ‘It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother and my father, who just, you know, were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation.
‘So, none of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather’s funeral but we did and, you know, I’ve had to make peace with the fact we’re probably never going to get genuine accountability or a genuine apology… My wife and I, we’re… we’re moving on. We’re focused on… what’s coming next.’
Speaking earlier in the episode, Harry’s childhood friend Nicky said: ‘Harry’s respect for his grandfather was monumentally deep. and I think a lot of the characteristics that, you know, I love in Harry are slightly grandfather related. You know, that ability to put people at ease, to be fun and to not be stiff and serious I think come from him.
‘I know the admiration was huge. To be walking behind the coffin again must have brought up some other stuff as well. I don’t have the qualifications to unpick that, but it must have been a lot.’
