Queen Elizabeth’s daughter-in-lawSophie, Countess of Wessexis giving an update on how the monarch is coping following thedeath of her husbandof 73 years,Prince Philip.
On Saturday, Sophie and her husband Prince Edward, the Queen’s youngest child with the Duke of Edinburgh, paid a visit to Windsor Castle.
As they left, Sophie, 56, tearfully told Sky News correspondent Rhiannon Mills that “the Queen has been amazing.”
On Saturday morning, the official social media account for the monarch and her family members also shared atouching quotethe Queen once said about her husband.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” she said about Philip in 1997.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex.Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images
Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex.Maureen McLean/Shutterstock
Charles Anson, former press secretary to the Queen,told PEOPLEon Friday that the 94-year-old monarch was prepared for Philip’s death after years of health troubles.
“She would have thought about this moment several times, and her way would be to remain as steady and as calm as possible,” Anson said. “That comes naturally to her through her temperament and her experience.”
“In my years of working for her she was always calm, no matter what was going on,” he added. “But for any human being, this is a very cathartic moment.”
Listen below to the episode ofour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Daywhere we are looking back atPrince Philip’s life and legacy.
“She has an enormous amount of family support for her and will also take comfort from the enormity of the support from all over the world,” he said.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
News of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death at age 99 was announced on Friday.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness ThePrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said in a statement. “The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
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The monarch will refrain from carrying out any royal duties for the next eight days as she enters amourning periodand funeral plans are set in motion. Affairs of state will also be put on pause.
source: people.com
