Remembering Prince Philip
Hello and welcome back to the blog or welcome if you are new!
I am subscribed to UK's "Mirror Royals" newsletter for regular updates on the Royal Family. It generally comes in the afternoon so when I woke this morning and had a notification on my phone I figured maybe it was one from yesterday. In my sleepy state, I saw the all caps "BREAKING" in the subject line and I honestly thought (and perhaps this is bad) well what have the Sussexes done now? And for the first time, I wish they had done something. Sadly, the rest of the subject line read "Prince Philip dies aged 99 - Heartbroken Queen's full statement". I don't feel as though I am someone who has a lot of jaw-dropping moments, but I must say when I read this my jaw did drop and I immediately texted my mom who is a big reason that I am a Royal Watcher in the first place.
Although yes, the Duke was 99, he almost felt like one of those people that was just going to keep going. His resilience has always been incredible and his will to power through despite what has happened is admirable. So I would say this was certainly a shock to me. The last reports we had on him were that he was doing well and going back home to Windsor Castle, where he had been staying with the Queen during the course of the pandemic. He was going back to Windsor Castle after a 28 day stay in two different hospitals to treat a pre-existing heart condition and an infection.
The Royal Family's motto of "Never complain, never explain" is never helpful in situations when we see Royals ill, especially older members of the family, like Prince Philip. Think back to when it was announced Prince Charles had COVID-19. And then of course we found out months later that Prince William actually had COVID-19 around the same time. They sort of try to keep this balance of giving the public what they want to know and keeping the public at ease as well, I believe. But one could not help but feel a bit extra worried upon the Duke's long stay in hospital given his age, especially after there appeared to be an emotional Prince Charles leaving the hospital after visiting his father during his stay. Not to mention the rather vague yet slightly pessimistic comments by various Senior Working Royals including Prince William, Prince Edward, and the Duchess of Cornwall during Prince Philip's hospital visit.
To give a little background on my personal thoughts about Prince Philip, about a year ago (roughly) I did not even know who he was. I've always been interested in the Royal Family but never really dove into it as a Royal Watcher until last year. When the pandemic hit last year I was at home basically always breastfeeding my son and I stumbled across some royal documentaries on YouTube and Netflix. Of course, I knew the really popular and well-known Royals: Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Catherine, Prince Harry, Diana, etc. I knew a bit about the Diana-Charles-Camilla drama and I knew that Diana had been killed in a car accident. Otherwise, that was about all I knew about the Royal Family so I certainly didn't know who Prince Philip was, and to be honest, figured at Queen Elizabeth's age, her husband had probably already passed away. I mean I didn't even know about any of the Queen's other children apart from Charles. Now that I think about it, it's really incredible how much I've learned about the British Monarchy in the span of about a year. Haha!
But anyway, upon seeing these documentaries, I just dove into learning about pretty much the entire Royal Family. Researching their history was a big part of that and through that, I learned about how incredible the life of Prince Philip really was. From rather tragic adolescence to the highly honorable man we know him as today. I'm so glad to have learned about him and through my hobby of Royal Watching, I've been able to get a glimpse into what kind of man he was and the great deal he meant to the Queen.
As a wife, my heart hurts for Her Majesty. Losing your life partner. Your love. Your, as she has put it, "strength and stay". It's unimaginable for most. For 73 years and then some Prince Philip has been at her side through exceptional highs and lows. The loneliness she must feel is awful to even think about and my thoughts and prayers will be with the Queen and her family throughout this extremely difficult time. Through all the hard times, Prince Philip has been by her side, I can only imagine that it must feel incredibly unreal without him for her and the rest of the family.
What a sad start to the weekend. Prince Philip will certainly be missed but as the days of mourning lie ahead, I hope we are able to look back on the wonderful memories from throughout the 99 years of the Duke of Edinburgh.
Rest in peace, Prince Philip.
Until next time.
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