Royals speak about death of Prince Philip
`HUGE VOID '
The Queen has said that the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, has “left a huge void in her life.”
In the monarch's first reported comments on Prince Philip's death she was also said to have described her husband's passing as a “miracle.”
The Queen's words were relayed by the Duke of York, as he left a church service in Windsor.
Her Majesty is also understood to have taken huge comfort in the warm tributes that have flooded in from across the globe.
Prince Andrew, 61, described the depth of his mother's grief as he spoke of how she had been coping in recent days.
“The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” he said.
“And she described his passing as a miracle.
“She's contemplating, I think is the way that I would put it. She described it as having left a huge void in her life, but we, the family, the ones that are closer, are rallying around to make sure that we're there to support her.
“And I know that there is a huge amount of support, not just for her but for everybody as we go through this enormous change.”
Details about Prince Philip's final moments emerged Sunday, as the Countess of Wessex told a member of the public: “It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful.”
The Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal also paid tribute to their father, following a moving statement by the Prince of Wales on Saturday.
The Queen, 94, said private prayers for the Duke Sunday as she attended a private service at Windsor Castle.
The service was not in St. George's Chapel, which is closed and is where Prince Philip's funeral will take place on Saturday. The Queen has decided that a two-week period of royal mourning will be observed by members of her family, which began when the Duke died on Friday.
On Saturday, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to his father saying in an unscripted televised address: “My dear Papa was a very special person.”
On Sunday, the couple's other children spoke of their grief as they recalled fond memories of their father.
Prince Andrew described his father as “a remarkable man.”
The Duke attended church in Windsor with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter, Lady Louise Windsor.
Asked how Her Majesty was coping, the Countess of Wessex, 56, said: “Thinking of others before herself.”