Family, the British public and royal watchers around the world are grieving the loss of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip, following his death Friday at the age of 99.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are, of course, among the mourners, and they’re sharing their response to the sad news with the public.
Shortly after the announcement of Philip's passing, the couple updated the website for their production company, Archwell, with a simple message of gratitude.
The message across the front page read, “In loving memory of His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021. Thank you for your service… you will be greatly missed.”
Prince Harry, one of the Duke of Edinburgh’s eight grandchildren, and the former Meghan Markle's use of the word "service" here is noteworthy.
After news broke that they wouldn’t be returning to their roles as working members of the royal family earlier this year, Harry and Meghan noted that regardless of their official roles with the palace, “we can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
It mirrored the language used by the palace which said that “in stepping away from the work of the royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”
On Friday, an earlier statement, shared on Twitter by Buckingham Place, noted that Philip “passed away peacefully” at Windsor Castle.
News of Philip’s death comes less than a month after he returned home from an extended stay at two different London hospitals, during which time he was treated for an infection and underwent a procedure for a heart condition.
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In the midst of his illness, Harry and Meghan made global headlines for giving a candid interview to Oprah Winfrey — one highlighting the reasons the duke and duchess decided to walk away from their jobs as working royals. Some felt the timing of the tell-all was insensitive given fears for Philip’s welfare.
However, Winfrey’s close friend, journalist Gayle King, insisted the couple had accounted for that.
"Just so you know, they had done that interview before Prince Philip went into the hospital,” King told a caller on her Sirius XM show “Gayle King in the House." “And if something, God forbid, had happened to him, you know, the interview would not have run at this particular time.”
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Harry was always said to be close to his grandfather, and he shared a striking resemblance to a youthful Philip.
In 2019, in honor of the duke’s 98th birthday, the Sussexes celebrated on social media, referring to the longest-serving consort in British history as “His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Sir, Grandpa.”
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