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Prince Charles pays tribute to 'dear Papa' Prince Philip

The Prince of Wales praised his late father in a moving broadcast

philip charles
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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The Prince of Wales has paid a touching tribute to his "dear Papa", the Duke of Edinburgh, following Prince Philip's death on Friday.

Speaking from his Gloucester home, Highgrove House, Prince Charles said: "I particularly wanted to say that my father, for I suppose the last 70 years, has given the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth. 

"As you can imagine, my family and I miss my father enormously. He was a much loved and appreciated figure and apart from anything else, I can imagine, he would be so deeply touched by the number of other people here and elsewhere around the world and the Commonwealth, who also I think, share our loss and our sorrow."

READ: All of Prince Philip's funeral details: royal guests, face masks, touching elements, more

WATCH: Prince Charles delivers moving tribute to his "dear Papa"

Touching upon the tributes to his father from around the globe, Charles said: "My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time. Thank you."

Charles' moving broadcast comes after details of the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral were confirmed by Buckingham Palace. 

The Duke of Edinburgh will receive a ceremonial royal funeral at 3pm on Saturday April 17 at St George's Chapel Windsor with just 30 of his closest loved ones in attendance.

MORE: Prince Philip's funeral: how to watch and join in with minute's silence

MORE: Royal family to wear mourning bands on public engagements in honour of Prince Philip

philip floral tributes windsor© Photo: Getty Images

Floral tributes left outside Windsor Castle

The events will take place entirely within the confines of the Castle and members of the public are being urged not to travel to Windsor or other royal residences to pay their respects, but to watch the ceremony on television instead.

The Queen and members of her family will be present, although the list of attendees, which will be limited to 30 people due to current COVID restrictions, will not be announced until the couple of days before the funeral.

It's expected that the monarch's four children, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward will be in attendance.

The Queen and Prince Philip also shared eight grandchildren: Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

MORE: Why Meghan Markle will not attend Prince Philip's funeral

prince philip windsor july 2020© Photo: Getty Images

The Duke pictured during a rare royal engagement in July 2020

The Duke of Sussex plans to fly over to the UK for the funeral from the US. The Duchess of Sussex, who is expecting a baby girl, has been advised not to travel.

The royals will remain in mourning for two weeks and will wear mourning bands during their public engagements. 

Prince Charles visited the Queen on Friday evening at Windsor Castle, as did the Earl and Countess of Wessex on Saturday. Sophie briefly spoke to reporters as she departed the Berkshire residence, and said: "The Queen has been amazing."

Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Philip's death at the age of 99 in a statement on Friday morning, which read: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss. Further announcements will be made in due course."

Clarence House also shared a black and white image of the Duke on its social media accounts, alongside the royal family's statement.

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