The Queen and Philip pictured to mark his 99th birthday (Steve Parsons/PA)
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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh spent more time under the same roof together during the coronavirus lockdown than they had in many years.
Philip had been occupying himself in his retirement mostly at his cottage, Wood Farm, in the sanctuary of the Sandringham estate, more than 100 miles away from the Queen, who was usually at Buckingham Palace or at Windsor.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pay tribute to Prince Philip and say he will be missed
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released an official statement
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Sydney (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Philip, 99, was just weeks from his milestone 100th birthday on June 10. The royal family, like the rest of the country, spent months separated from one another, with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge contracting coronavirus. Now the royal family is grieving – at a time when the monarchy had already been plunged into crisis. The Windsors had been experiencing one of their most challenging periods in the modern era with the bitter fallout from Megxit , the rift between two royal brothers, and the scandal surrounding the Duke of York. While Philip was unwell in hospital after surgery on his heart, came the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s damaging Oprah interview.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s death was confirmed with the age-old tradition of placing a notice on the railings of Buckingham Palace.
A brief bulletin, on paper set in a foolscap imperial-sized dark wooden frame, is used to notify the public of key royal events such as births and deaths.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, the notice has already been taken down to prevent crowds forming during the pandemic.
Usually, the statement, which was put in place by Royal Household staff wearing black face masks, would have remained in place for 24 hours.
The sign announcing the death of the Duke of Edinburgh (Ian West/PA)
File photo dated 17/10/47 of the then Prince Philip of Greece, a month before his wedding to Princess Elizabeth. He was the Queen s husband and the royal family s patriarch, but what will the Duke of Edinburgh be remembered for? Issue date: A timeline of the Duke of Edinburgh s life: June 10 1921 - Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark is born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg in the family home, Mon Repos, on Corfu. He is the youngest of five children. December 1922 - Eighteen-month-old Prince Philip, travelling in a makeshift cot made from an orange box, is evacuated from Greece on a Royal Navy ship after King Constantine I is forced to abdicate.