Royals hit by ‘blow’ like all bereaved, says Welby

THE Duke of Edinburgh had a “remarkable willingness” to take the hand he was dealt in life, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Speaking at a remembrance service yesterday for Prince Philip, Justin Welby said members of the Royal Family were dealing with the “blow” of bereavement as anyone who has suffered grief will know.

Addressing a socially distanced congregation during the service from Canterbury Cathedral, which was also streamed live online, the Archbishop said: “For His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, there was a willingness, a remarkable willingness, to take the hand he was dealt in life, and straightforwardly to follow its call.

“ws To search its meaning, to go out and on as sent, to inquire and think, to trust and to pray.”

Mr Welby also noted that, although Philip was a man of great faith, he would have “harrumphed” at the idea of “over-spiritualisation”.

He said: “Where we find lives that have prophetic aspects of foreseeing and practical applications of inspiring, as with Prince Philip, we see signs of this new creation of the spirit of God.

“We should not exaggerate. The Duke would have been the first to harrumph strongly at over-spiritualisation of the world he found, let alone of himself.”

While Philip’s death has been recognised and reported on worldwide, Mr Welby told those watching that for any family the pain of bereavement is personal.

He said: “For the Royal Family, as for every other, no words can reach into the depth of sorrow that goes into bereavement. We all know that it is not simply a factor of age or familiarity.

“It is not obliterated by the reality of a very long life remarkably led, nor is the predictability of death’s arrival a softening of the blow.”