Charles: Dear papa would have been amazed at touching things said about him

The Queen was comforted by her family and closest friends yesterday as she grieved her husband of 73 years. The monarch is mourning the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle, where she has been visited by her three sons and is also being supported by her close-knit inner circle. Prince Charles had travelled to Windsor from his Gloucestershire home Highgrove on Friday to comfort his mother in the hours after the Duke died peacefully in his sleep.

After returning to Highgrove yesterday, he said his “dear papa” was a “very special person who... above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him”.

The prince said his family were “deeply grateful” for the messages of support, adding: “It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.” The Prince – the monarch and Philip’s eldest son – will also be offering guidance as the Queen finalises the arrangements for the Duke’s funeral and for plans over the coming days.

The Queen was visited yesterday by Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who told reporters: “The Queen has been amazing.”

The Queen is known to be very close to the Countess of Wessex, and she and Edward spent an hour at Windsor Castle as the family rallied round after Prince Philip’s death. Sophie was dressed in black and had tears in her eyes as they drove away. The Duke of York, who lives nearby in Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, was also seen driving to see his mother. Princess Anne has also been supporting the Queen, as have her grandchildren. The Duke of Cambridge has been in constant contact, and Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will also offer their support to their grandmother – keeping in touch through video calls. The Queen and Philip’s other grandchildren are Lady Louise Windsor, 17, and Viscount Severn, 13, who live just 10 miles away in Bagshot Park, Surrey, and who, pre-pandemic, often spent time with their grandparents. Support is also being provided by the Queen’s trusted household staff, knowns as HMS Bubble during the pandemic.