‘MY GRANDFATHER WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN'

FOLLOWING HIS DEATH PRINCE PHILIP’S FAMILY LIFTED THE LID ON A LOVING FATHER GRANDFATHER AND GREAT GRANDFATHER

- Ellie Kirwin-Jones

Days ahead of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, the royal family released a touching new photograph taken by the Duchess of Cambridge in 2018, of Prince Philip and the Queen with their great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle.

In the picture,the Queen looks every inch the doting great-grandmother as she holds Prince Louis, who turns three this week, while William and Kate’s other children, Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, sit either side of her. Peter Phillips’ daughters, Savannah, 10, and Isla, nine, are next to their great-grandfather Philip, while Zara and Mike Tindall’s children, Lena, now two – held by her cousin Isla – and Mia, seven, are at the right of the sofa.

Since the photo was taken, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had their son Archie, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed a son, August, and Zara and Mike Tindall recently had their third child, a son Lucas.

Prince William and Kate also shared an image on Twitter of Prince Philip and the Queen at Balmoral in 2015. While the Duke is holding George’s hand, the Duchess is carrying baby Charlotte in her arms. They added the caption, “Today we share, along with members of the @RoyalFamily, photographs of The Duke of Edinburgh, remembering him as a father, grandfather and great-grandfather.”

Days after the death of his beloved grandfather Prince Philip, Prince William paid a heartfelt tribute, calling him “an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation”.