The heartbreaking story behind Prince Philip’s death: Queen Elizabeth did not wake in time to say goodbye… but the Duke of Edinburgh was ‘quite ready to die’

After being admitted to hospital and undergoing a procedure for an existing heart condition, Prince Philip died peacefully in his sleep at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021.

The Queen had been so determined to be with her husband when he died that she barely left his side in the last few weeks of his life.

But the Duke of Edinburgh, who was aged 99, ‘slipped away so quickly’, according to Gyles Brandreth, that palace staff were unable to wake her in time to say goodbye.

Brandreth, who occupies a unique position as both friend and biographer of the Royal Family, wrote in his book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait that Philip was not afraid of dying.

‘Death is part of life,’ he told Brandreth. ‘You’ve got to face it. You’ve got to accept it – with a good grace.’ He laughed. ‘When you get to my age, there’s a lot of it about.’

Death had been part of Prince Philip’s life from the beginning. His grandfather, King George I of Greece, was assassinated some years before he was born. And his favourite sister, Cécile, was killed in an aeroplane accident when he was still a teenager.

His favourite uncle (and guardian), George Milford Haven, died of cancer soon afterwards. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece, died when Philip was just 23. His other favourite uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was murdered by the IRA in 1979.

‘I’m quite ready to die,’ the Duke said to Brandreth. ‘It’s what happens – sooner or later. I certainly don’t want to hang on until I am 100, like Queen Elizabeth [the Queen Mother]. I can’t imagine anything worse.

The Duke of Edinburgh takes off his hat as a mark of respect at his last individual public engagement in 2017

Prince Philip and the then Princess Elizabeth during their honeymoon at the Broadlands Estate in Romsey, Hampshire, in 1947

The couple walking through Broadlands Estate to mark their diamond wedding anniversary in November 2007

‘I have absolutely no desire to cling on to life unnecessarily. Ghastly prospect.’

Although Brandreth is convinced that Philip ‘died happy’, his death understandably left a ‘huge void’ in the Queen’s life.

Speaking on her behalf in the days after his death, Prince Andrew said: ‘The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person.

‘She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we’re there to support her.’

The Duke of York said the Queen had ‘described his passing as a miracle’, thought to refer to the fact Prince Philip died peacefully at home and not alone in hospital under Covid regulations.

Sophie, then the Countess of Wessex, who was attending a Windsor church service alongside Andrew, told a congregation member: ‘It was right for him [Prince Philip]. 

‘It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful, and that’s all you want for somebody, isn’t it? I think it’s so much easier for the person that goes than for people that are left behind.’

The Queen, who famously described Prince Philip as her ‘strength and stay’, was forced to ‘walk alone’ from that point onwards.

The last photograph of Philip with the Queen was in November 2020, where they looked at a homemade card given to them by their great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis for their 73rd wedding anniversary

The Duke of Edinburgh, seen arriving home at Windsor Castle on March 16 – the final picture of him in public

Philip’s funeral, which took place the weekend after his death, would be the first time Prince Harry saw the Royal Family since his bombshell interview with Oprah.

Ever stoic, the Queen is believed to have discussed the arrangements with Prince William, including how her feuding grandsons would walk behind the coffin.

‘Elizabeth was coping with her bereavement by personally supervising every detail of her husband’s farewell – complicated as it was by the Covid requirement that there be no more than 30 mourners in the chapel,’ Robert Lacey explained in his book Battle of Brothers.

Harry, who attended the funeral alone as his wife Meghan was heavily pregnant, walked in line beside Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips who served as a ‘diplomatic buffer’ between the brothers, wrote Lacey.

At the time, body language expert Judi James observed that the brothers ‘almost looked like strangers’, noting their lack of acknowledgment towards one another. She added that Harry appeared ‘desperate to avoid’ his brother.

But it was a picture of the Queen sitting six-feet away from her family members and wearing a black mask that broke hearts across the nation – and served somewhat of an allegory of the times.

Only 29 other mourners – including Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry – were allowed inside St George’s Chapel as social distancing rules were still in place.

Immediately after Prince Philip’s funeral, the Queen returned to her apartment in Windsor Castle in silence.

Prince Philip was in hospital following a heart procedure when Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021

Harry, who attended Philip’s funeral alone as his wife was heavily pregnant, maintained a noticeable distance from William

Philip’s coffin had his standard, navy cap and a sword given to him by the Queen’s father when they had married 73 years before. The Queen, all in black, sat alone as it was placed ahead of the altar

Queen Elizabeth sits alone at the funeral of Prince Philip in April 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions

‘I helped her off with her coat and hat and no words were spoken,’ senior dresser Ms Kelly told royal expert Brandreth.

‘The Queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her thoughts.’

Though her grief was private, in public the Queen was determined to carry on as normal. ‘Life goes on,’ she said. ‘It has to.’

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk