Princess Anne Breaks Silence on Father Prince Philip’s Death

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and consort to Queen Elizabeth, passed away on Friday at age 99. Queen Elizabeth said of her husband of 74 years that he “has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years,” according to PEOPLE. “I owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim.” Philip’s children have also come forward to pay their public respects to their father, the latest of which is his daughter, Princess Anne.

“You know it’s going to happen but you are never really ready. My father has been my teacher, my supporter, and my critic, but mostly it is his example of a life well-lived and service freely given that I most wanted to emulate,” she said in an official statement. “His ability to treat every person as an individual in their own right with their own skills comes through all the organizations with which he was involved. I regard it as an honor and a privilege to have been asked to follow in his footsteps and it has been a pleasure to have kept him in touch with their activities. I know how much he meant to them, in the UK, across the Commonwealth, and in the wider world.”

“I would like to emphasize how much the family appreciate the messages and memories of so many people whose lives he also touched. We will miss him but he leaves a legacy which can inspire us all,” she concluded. This message of remembrance comes on the heels of her brother, Prince Andrew’s recent statement about his father’s death, calling it a “terrible loss.”

“The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person,” Andrew said. “She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we’re there to support her.” Andrew also spoke about the fact that his late father was “so calm.”

“If you had a problem, he would think about it. He was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen so it’s a great loss. We’ve lost almost the grandfather of the nation. And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother who’s feeling it probably more than everybody else.” This was Andrew’s first public appearance in many months due to the scandal caused by his connection to human trafficker and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.