Prince Philip left financial gifts to three senior aides in his estimated £30million will before his death aged 99 six weeks ago, a royal source claimed today.
The Duke of Edinburgh is thought to have rewarded his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell and pages William Henderson and Stephen Niedojadlo.
The trio were among a group of six aides who walked behind senior Royal Family members and Philip’s coffin for his funeral procession at Windsor Castle on April 17.
But none of the men could attend the service itself inside St George’s Chapel because national Covid-19 restrictions limited the number of mourners to 30.
Most of Philip’s estate is thought to have gone to the Queen – while money to his grandchildren would have been ‘sorted out quite a while ago’, it was reported.
It means Prince Harry could be set to receive some cash despite launching a series of fierce attacks on the Royal Family in his ‘truth bomb’ interviews in recent months.
Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell and pages William Henderson and Stephen Niedojadlo all walked behind Prince Philip’s coffin during his funeral procession at Windsor Castle on April 17
Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell (left) and page Stephen Niedojadlo (right) follow the coffin
A source close to Buckingham Palace told the Sun: ‘Unlike some other royals, Prince Philip will be generous to the three men who looked after him.
‘These include his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller Bakewell, his page William Henderson and Stephen Niedojadlo.’
They added: ‘Philip was not the sort of character to punish a grandson [Harry] for misbehaving. He was a very fair, even-handed and lovely man. Never held a grudge.’
The source also said that Philip’s children – Charles, Anne, Edward and Andrew – were told they can ‘take what they want’ from his library of 13,000 books at the palace.
Brigadier Miller-Bakewell headed a small team of loyal staff that followed Philip’s coffin last month, in recognition of his years of devotion.
Philip’s page Stephen Niedojadlo is pictured (far left) standing behind US president Donald Trump as he makes a speech while the Queen listens at Buckingham Palace in June 2019
The Duke’s private secretary was one of six non-royals to play a role in the funeral – alongside Philip’s Metropolitan Police Protection Officer, two valets and two pages.
The two pages cared for Philip right up until his death on April 9.
Mr Henderson and Mr Niedojadlo took it in turns to spend a week with him at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Philip had been living full-time at Wood Farm, a simply-furnished, five-bedroom cottage, for almost three years before he moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic.
And the pair were drafted in to help look after the Queen when other staff were forced to self-isolate.
Philip’s private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell (second left) leaves Downing Street after a lunch held by David and Samantha Cameron for the Duke’s 90th birthday in June 2011
In October last year, Mr Niedojadlo’s services were recognised by the Queen when he was awarded the Royal Victorian Order (RVO).
Mr Henderson is said to have started as a cleaner when he joined the Duke’s service in the 1980s and worked his way up to become one of his closest aides.
The Queen awarded him the RVO in 2011.
Also this week, a former lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother said Philip was a ‘heaven-sent consort’ for the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband the Duke of Edinburgh, pictured together in June 2017
Lady Prudence Penn told of Philip’s support for his wife in Tatler, saying he would boost her ego by telling her how lovely she looked on their way to engagements.
Lady Penn said: ‘I loved the way he would boost the Queen’s ego by telling her how lovely she looked on their way to an engagement.
‘He knew how to bring the best out of a woman, and I am sure his advice and encouragement to her were paramount in their relationship. To my mind, the Duke of Edinburgh was a heaven-sent consort for Her Majesty in every way.’
Harry and Oprah Winfrey will reunite again in a programme tomorrow as they revisit their Apple TV+ documentary about mental health with a virtual follow-up chat.
Prince Harry speaks to Oprah Winfrey in ‘The Me You Can’t See’ which came out last Friday
The Duke will speak to Oprah and other celebrities involved in the series including actress Glenn Close as they speak in ‘The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward’.
The initial documentary saw Harry speak about the trauma of his mother Princess Diana’s death, his concern for wife Meghan Markle and the reaction by other royals
The Duke accused the Royal Family of racism during an interview with Oprah in March and suggested the Queen and Philip had failed as parents in a podcast chat.
The Duke’s future relationship with Charles, brother Prince William and the rest of the Windsors has been brought into question following his repeated criticism of them.
Who are the three senior royal aides who Philip left money to in his will?
BRIGADIER ARCHIE MILLER-BAKEWELL, PRIVATE SECRETARY
Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell was the Duke of Edinburgh’s private secretary and right-hand man, working alongside him for 11 years.
He registered Philip’s death with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead on April 13, four days after the Duke passed away.
At the funeral, he processed behind Philip’s coffin with two pages and two valets, and entered St George’s Chapel, but did not sit in the quire.
He managed Philip’s diary, planned his engagements before he retired in 2017 and accompanied him to royal events – even standing in for him on occasions when he could not attend.
In 2018, a source sniffily described Brigadier Miller-Bakewell to the Daily Mail as ‘charming, old school, Establishment – and completely wet’.
He also once confirmed Philip’s apparent fascination with aliens, saying he would read a book about UFOs ‘with close interest’ in summer 2019.
STEPHEN NJEDOJADLO, PAGE
Stephen Mark Niedojadlo, 47, from Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, was one of two senior royal aides who cared for Prince Philip right up until his death on April 9.
He took it in turns with page William Henderson to spend a week with the Duke at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Philip had been living full-time at Wood Farm, a simply-furnished, five-bedroom cottage, for almost three years before he moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic.
And the pair were drafted in to help look after the Queen when other staff were forced to self-isolate.
Last October, Mr Niedojadlo’s services were recognised by the Queen when he was awarded the Royal Victorian Order in her 2020 Birthday Honours list.
WILLIAM HENDERSON, PAGE
William Allan Henderson was one of two pages who cared for the Duke in his final months, having spent several decades with the Royal Family.
He is said to have started as a cleaner when he joined Philip’s service in the 1980s and worked his way up to become one of his closest aides.
Mr Henderson and fellow page Stephen Niedojadlo took it in turns to spend a week with him at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
The Queen awarded Mr Henderson the Royal Victorian Order in 2011.
Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey will reunite tomorrow for a mental health discussion on the ‘path forward’
The Duke of Sussex is to reunite with Oprah Winfrey to ‘go deeper’ into the mental health stories explored in their Apple TV series.
The pair will join participants and experts to host a ‘town hall’ discussion entitled The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward, which will air tomorrow.
Harry’s Archewell website said the programme would begin to answer the question: ‘Where do we go from here?’
Prince Harry and actress Glenn Close speak to Oprah Winfrey in ‘The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward’ which will begin streaming on Apple TV+ from tomorrow
In the series broadcast last week, the duke lambasted the parenting skills of his father the Prince of Wales.
He criticised Charles for expecting his sons to endure the pressures of royal life, and accused his family of ‘total neglect’ when his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, was feeling suicidal amid harassment on social media.
Harry also revealed he turned to drink and drugs as he dealt with the trauma of his mother’s death in later life.
The Archewell website said: ‘In The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward, Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey reunite with participants and experts from the series for a thought-provoking, wide-ranging discussion to build on their initial conversations around mental health and wellbeing.’
Oprah and Harry speak with mental health experts in ‘The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward’
‘The subjects go deeper into their own stories from the series, the experts share their guidance, and together they begin to answer the critical question: Where do we go from here?’.
It added: ‘The insightful and expansive town hall features members of The Me You Can’t See advisory board, as well as series participants including Glenn Close; Zak Williams, a mental health advocate and speaker; and Ambar Martinez, an author and OnTrack NY peer counsellor.’
The duke’s future relationship with his father, brother the Duke of Cambridge and the rest of the Windsors has been brought into question following his frank remarks and his and Meghan’s bombshell sit-down interview with Winfrey earlier in the year.
‘The Me You Can’t See: A Path Forward’ will start streaming on Apple TV+ tomorrow