The Duke of Edinburgh's huge influence on the lives of his grandchildren

The touching tributes alluded to a beloved grandfather and great-grandfather.

Reflecting their own appreciation of Prince Philip’s role as a mentor, role model and sounding board, the statements released on Monday by the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex also touched on the 99-year-old’s precious bond with the newest additions to the Royal family.

From the tender image of Prince George carriage driving with his great-grandfather, to Prince Harry’s declaration that the Duke would hold a special place in the hearts of Archie and his unborn 11th great-granddaughter – the poignant messages painted the picture of a patriarch whose absence will be felt by those young and old.

When William bumped into Matt Smith, the actor who would play his grandfather in The Crown, at a charity event a few years ago, he was asked if he had any advice.

“Just one word,” came the reply. “Legend.”

The Duke not only had a huge influence on William and Harry but also the lives of his six other grandchildren, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

Having grown up largely separated from his own parents, Prince Philip immediately took on the role of William and Harry’s staunch defender following the death of their beloved mother, a woman he respected and admired despite her marital difficulties with Prince Charles.

When Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, both princes, then 15 and 12, were at Balmoral, staying with the Queen and the Duke.

It was decided to keep them ensconced in Scotland in order to protect them from scrutiny and the public gaze.

Anji Hunter, Tony Blair’s head of government relations, recalled hearing the Duke’s “anguished” voice when the team organising the Princess’s funeral held a conference call.

“We were all talking about how William and Harry should be involved and suddenly, came Prince Philip’s voice,” she said.

“We hadn’t heard from him before, but he was really anguished. ‘It’s about the boys,’ he cried, ‘They’ve lost their mother.’”

In the event, it was the Duke who was credited with persuading a reluctant William to walk behind his mother’s coffin, believing he would regret his decision, if he chose not to do so.

“If I walk, will you walk with me?” he asked.

The Duke was similarly supportive of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie when their parents, the Duke and Duchess of York, separated in 1992 (although he never quite forgave Fergie for bringing shame on the Royal family with a string of lurid headlines).

The royal sisters, whose parents still live together at Royal Lodge, the Queen Mother’s former home in Windsor Great Park, despite their divorce, were both educated for a time in Windsor and would be regular visitors to Windsor Castle to spend weekends with the Queen and the Duke. Princes William and Harry would also pop in for tea when they were boarding down the road at Eton.

“I think Grandpa is incredible," Eugenie, 31, said of the then 97-year-old Philip in the documentary Our Queen at Ninety. "He really is strong and consistent. He's been there for all these years, and I think he's the rock, you know, for all of us."

Despite his declining health, the 99-year-old made a special effort to attend Princess Beatrice’s wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi last September, which was held at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor to make it as convenient as possible for the Duke and the Queen to be present. The couple later proudly posed for a photograph with the bride, 32, and groom, 38, outside the church.

He was similarly determined to attend Prince Harry and Meghan’s Windsor wedding in May 2018 following hip surgery, and witnessed Princess Eugenie’s marriage to Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel five months later.

Prince Philip was also close to his first-born grandchildren, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips and daughter Zara Tindall, 39. As well as being proud of former world and European eventing champion Zara’s equestrian achievements, not least when she won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012, he also used to enjoy the fact that Peter played rugby at a high level. Both attended his alma mater, Gordonstoun, in Scotland where, like him, they revelled in the spirit of competition.

When asked about his grandparents in a 2013 interview with ITV, Peter, 43, expressed how important it was to him to show his support for "everything that they have done, and everything they continue to do. Not only for this country, but also us as a family."

Zara’s husband Mike Tindall, the former England rugby player, later revealed that the family kept in touch via a What’s App group – although Philip is not thought to have ever owned a smartphone.

During a recent interview with James Corden, Prince Harry, 36, joked about how his grandfather would abruptly end video calls during lockdown by simply slamming the laptop shut.

Because they spent a great deal of time overseas when their elder grandchildren were little, the Queen and the Duke grew especially close to the Earl and Countess of Wessexes’ children Lady Louise Windsor, 17, and James, Viscount Severn, 13, who live just 11 miles from Windsor Castle at Bagshot Park.

Three years ago it was revealed that Lady Louise had taken up carriage driving like her grandfather.

Prince William, 38, and Prince Harry also inherited Prince Philip’s passion for polo.

The Duke was delighted when both princes followed in his footsteps and joined the military, with Harry echoing the Duke’s active duty during the Second World War by serving two tours of Afghanistan with the British army.

Forever a dependable presence in the lives of his offspring, Prince Philip would not only entertain them at Windsor Castle but also during summer holidays at Balmoral in Scotland when he would man the family barbecue while leaving the washing up to the Queen.

A regular at royal events such as Trooping the Colour, Buckingham Palace garden parties, the Windsor Horse Show, the Garter Ceremony, and Royal Ascot, he could always be relied upon to keep his grandchildren amused with a well-timed one-liner.

The abundance of photographs of the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, 39, trying to stifle giggles while standing next to Philip on the Buckingham Palace balcony speak volumes of the unique rapport he enjoyed with the next generation of the House of Windsor.