Princess Anne Says "Life Will Be Completely Different" Now That Her Father, Prince Philip, Has Died
Prince Philip passed away Friday in Windsor at the age of 99 and the loss shook the royal family, with several members finding ways to pay tribute to the late family patriarch.
In an interview with ITV that was prerecorded to be broadcast after the Duke of Edinburgh's death, two of his four children, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, opened up about their late father's legacy. During the interview, Princess Anne, 70, spoke of the loss, saying that, without Prince Philip around, "life will be completely different."
Princess Anne, the second eldest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and the couple's only daughter, discussed her father's "nomadic" childhood and the impact his early experiences at his boarding school, Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, had on shaping the man he grew to be.
“It must have been really quite difficult because he was that much younger than his sisters," she shared. "The father figure was very intermittent then went and his mother struggled at that stage, so he had friends elsewhere who took him in during the holidays. He was virtually a refugee as this stage because he had nowhere else to go literally. And that probably why Gordonstoun had such an impact."
It was at Gordonstoun that Prince Philip discovered his passion for sports, something that later shaped one of the enduring pieces of his legacy, the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
"The Duke of Edinburgh Award is probably among the best-known of the foundations in his name, and initially started by his former headmaster Kurt Hahn, who when it was rolled out beyond Gordonstoun came to my father and said 'would you get involved in this," Prince Edward, 57, explained of the award, which has since spread to more than 140 countries, including some beyond the Commonwealth.
"He believed there were things outside [of school] which were necessary to help you develop as an individual, which played to your strengths and if that weren’t academic there were other things that would be your strength," Princess Anne added.
Finally, Prince Edward reflected on his parents' 73-year marriage, during which the Duke of Edinburgh supported the Queen both publicly and privately.
"My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas," he said of the relationship. "To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public. To be able to share that is immensely important."
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