Princess Anne pays tribute to father Prince Philip: 'Without him, life will be completely different'
Ahead of Prince Philip's passing on Friday, April 9, his only daughter, Princess Anne, had opened up about how "life will be completely different" after her father's death. Pre-recorded to be broadcast in the wake of the Duke of Edinburgh's death, the interview sees two of his four children - Anne and Prince Edward, his youngest, address their father's legacy.
Anne, 70, can be seen speaking about the loss of her father, which she followed up with his "nomadic' childhood and the difficulties he endured. The second eldest child of the late Duke and his wife, the Queen, also brings up Prince Philip's time in boarding school and the significance it had in shaping the man he became.
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“It must have been really quite difficult because he was that much younger than his sisters," Anne says in the interview, addressing her father's traumatic childhood. "The father figure was very intermittent then went [sic] and his mother struggled at that stage, so he had friends elsewhere who took him in during the holidays. He was virtually a refugee at this stage because he had nowhere else to go literally. And that probably why Gordonstoun had such an impact," she added.
Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scottland was the boarding school where Prince Philip discovered his passion for sports - thus leading the way for one of the most prestigious elements of his legacy, the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Speaking of the award that has now spread to more than 140 countries, Edward, 57, shared in the interview: "The Duke of Edinburgh Award is probably among the best-known of the foundations in his name, and initially started by his former headmaster Kurt Hahn, who when it was rolled out beyond Gordonstoun, came to my father and said 'would you get involved in this.'"
Princess Anne also shared: "He believed there were things outside [of school] which were necessary to help you develop as an individual, which played to your strengths and if that weren’t academic there were other things that would be your strength." And reflecting on their parents' iconic 73-year-marriage, Edward reflected: "My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas. To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public. To be able to share that is immensely important."
It was then that Anne reflected, "Without him, life will be completely different. But from society’s perspective, he was able to keep pace with the kind of technological changes that have such an impact… but above all that it’s not about the technology it’s about the people.” As reported by MEAWW, the late Duke of Edinburgh was being treated for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition. Sources say his death at the age of 99 was sudden and unexpected, but peaceful as he was in the company of his dear 'Lilibet'.