Queen left with a ‘huge void’ in life
The Queen has described the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh as "having left a huge void in her life".
The Duke of York revealed the personal feelings of his mother after attending a church service where members of the royal family said prayers for Philip as the nation remembered him.
Andrew described the death of his father as resonating with many people, saying: "We've lost almost the grandfather of the nation."
His brother the Earl of W essex said Philip' s death was a "dreadful shock" and the family was still "trying to come to terms with that".
Andrew said members of the family have been rallying round to support the Queen as she deals with the death of her partner of more than 70 years.
The Duke of York was joined at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor for a Sunday service.
Andrew said: "The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person.
"She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we're there to support her."
Sophie and Edward appeared visibly moved as they spoke about the Queen, with their daughter by their side, after the service.
The Queen is "thinking of others before herself", the countess said, and Edward added: "As always. But bearing up, and again it's just that wave of affection for him and just those lovely stories.
"They just mean so much and the tributes have been just fantastic. That's really, really important and we really do appreciate it."
Their words were echoed by Andrew, who spoke separately from his brother and sister-in-law after the service, saying the family was grateful for all the "absolutely amazing tributes" to his father.
Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, said of Philip: "He was a remarkable man.
"I loved him as a father. He was so calm. If you had a problem, he would think about it.
"That's the great thing that I always think about, that he was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen so it's a great loss.
"We've lost almost the grandfather of the nation. And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who's feeling it probably more than everybody else."
The monarchy is observing two weeks of royal mourning and the members of the family who attended church were dressed in black, with Andrew and Edward also wearing black ties.
The Queen has received regular visits from her children since Philip died peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Andrew said his father's death had brought home how many people have been bereaved during the coronavirus outbreak.
He said: "It's a terrible loss. My father said to me on the telephone a few months ago, 'We are all in the same boat and we must always remember that, but occasionally we, the family, are asked to stand up and show compassion and leadership'.
"And unfortunately, with my father's death, it has brought it home to me, not just our loss, but actually the loss that everybody else has felt, for so many people who have died and lost loved ones during the pandemic."