Prince Andrew paid tribute to his late father, Prince Philip, on Sunday by calling him the “grandfather of the nation” – noting the “vast void” his death left for widow Queen Elizabeth II.
“He was a remarkable man,” the 61-year-old prince told reporters with scandals for his father, who died at the age of 99 on Friday.
‘I loved him as a father. He was so calm. … He was always someone you could go to and he always listened, ”said Andrew as he left a special service at the Royal Chapel in Windsor Great Park.
“We almost lost the nation’s grandfather,” he said.
Andrew – who has largely stayed out of the spotlight since he was dumped from royal duties due to his ties to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – said his mother, the 94-year-old queen, remained “ stoic. ”
“I feel sorry for and support my mother, who feels it, I think probably more than anyone else,” he said.
“She described it as if she had left a huge void in her life.”
At a possible dig at Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Andrew added, “We, the family – the ones close by – are gathering to make sure we’re there to support her.”
Andrew’s younger brother, Prince Edward, said the family was “still dealing with the” very, very sad “loss.
‘It has been a bit of a shock. No matter how often people try to prepare for something like this, it remains a terrible shock, ”he said of his father, who spent a month in hospital where he underwent heart surgery this year.
Edward said the massive show of public grief and support showed that Philip “may have been our father, grandfather, father-in-law, but he meant so much to so many other people.”