UK lawmakers set for Prince Philip tributes
- The comments came as the highest-ranking cleric in the Church of England that the queen heads led prayers at a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh.
LONDON: Lawmakers across the UK were set to pay tribute to Prince Philip Monday, whose death last week aged 99 has left a "huge void" in the life of Queen Elizabeth, according to her son.
Parliaments in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast will convene to pay their respects to Philip, who spent 73 years at the side of Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
Prince Andrew said Sunday his 94-year-old mother was "incredibly stoic" but had been hit hard by the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
"She described it (his death) as having left a huge void in her life," Andrew said after a church service at Windsor Castle, west of London.
The queen and Philip's second son described his father as "the grandfather of the nation" and said close family were "rallying round" his mother.
Andrew has been rarely seen in public since stepping back from royal duties in 2019 over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Duke of York's younger brother, Edward, Earl of Wessex, called his father's death "a dreadful shock", despite his recent illness.
Princess Anne, the queen and Prince Philip's only daughter, said her father was her "teacher, my supporter and my critic", and she tried to emulate "his example of a life well lived and service freely given".
"We will miss him but he leaves a legacy which can inspire us all," said Anne, who was considered particularly close to her father.
The queen's eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, on Saturday paid his own heartfelt tribute to his "dear Papa", saying he and the royal family missed him "enormously".
The comments came as the highest-ranking cleric in the Church of England that the queen heads led prayers at a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh.
"For the royal family, as for every other, no words can reach into the depth of sorrow that goes into bereavement," said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
Other senior faith leaders paid tribute to Philip, whose support for the queen has been seen as crucial during her 69-year reign.
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