Prince Charles' Photo Montage Tribute To Prince Philip

Most of the world awoke to the sad news that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had passed away at the age of 99 on April 9, 2021, as reported by CNN. While the monarchy is a shrouded veil of secrets to most Americans, the Firm has its own protocol for tragic times like this. Buckingham Palace revealed the loss of the longest living consort via their Instagram page. "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," the palace's statement read. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle." The duke had been in poor health for some time and had recently underwent a heart procedure. 

The queen and her subjects will mourn together on Saturday as the funeral takes place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. As fans of the royal family know, Prince Philip was a beloved father, grandfather, and husband, so it was expected that his son Prince Charles would share some heartfelt words with the world regarding Philip's death. He also shared a touching photo montage tribute to his late father on social media.

Prince Charles used the official Clarence House Instagram account to post a lovely photo montage in respect to his late father, reminiscing about his over 70-year career in the public eye. Charles chose a piano medley to accompany the pictures, which showed his mother and father in the early years of their marriage, Prince Philip with his children, and other precious memories.

In the post's caption was a quote from Charles. He shared, "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... My dear Papa was a very special person."

Previously, Reuters shared the Prince of Wales' touching words about his "dear papa" only days after the patriarch passed away. To press outside of his home, the father of two opened up about how the entire royal family would miss Prince Philip tremendously, saying that the duke 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." The heir to the throne shared that everyone's thoughts and kind words would "sustain" the family in their time of sorrow.

The Telegraph reported that Prince Charles made his first public appearance since the sad news when he examined flowers left by his fellow countrymen. Charles stepped out with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, as they continued on with their duties at Marlborough House Gardens. The royal couple was said to have enjoyed a stroll around the grounds and have read numerous cards left by the public. Many royal enthusiasts may not know that Prince Philip died on the couple's 16th wedding anniversary, as noted by People.

The United Kingdom is getting ready for the state funeral that will be held on Saturday, April 17. It will be a small affair due to COVID-19 restrictions. The ceremony will only have 30 people, and the royal family will all be dressed in "civilian clothes," as to not ruffle any feathers when it comes to military uniforms, as noted by the Associated Press.