Royal family release adorable unseen picture of Prince Phillip with great-grandchildren
Ahead of his funeral on Saturday 17th April
Last updated 24th May 2022
Ahead of The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral on Saturday 17th April, The Royal Family have released some previously unseen photos of the Queen, Prince Phillip, and their great-grandchildren.
Taken in 2018 by The Duchess of Cambridge, the adorable new photo, which was taken inside of Balmoral Castle, shows the Queen holding Prince William's youngest son Prince Louis, whilst she sits next to both Prince George and Prince Charlotte.
Savannah and Isla, the daughters of Peter Phillips are sat closest to Prince Phillip, whilst Zara and Mike Tindall's children, Mia and Lena also feature, with Isla holding her baby cousin Lena in her arms.
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton also shared a never-before-seen photo with Prince Phillip, this time featuring a young Princess Charlotte and Prince George, taken in 2015.
Posted on The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official Twitter page, the post read, 'Today we share, along with Members of The @RoyalFamily ,photographs of The Duke of Edinburgh, remembering him as a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. đź“· This picture was taken at Balmoral in 2015.' (sic)
The new photos arrive just days after both Prince William and Prince Harry released separate tributes to their beloved grandfather, following his sad passing on Friday 9th April, at the amazing age of 99.
Prince William said in a statement, "My grandfather's century of life was defined by service - to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family.
"I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life - both through good times and the hardest days.
"I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her.
"I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour!"
Take a look at Prince Phillip's amazing life in pictures:
Prince Philip was born in 1921
Prince Philip of Greece was born 10 June 1921 in Corfu to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Prince Philip attended school in Scotland
The Prince was one of the first pupils at Gordonstoun boarding school in Moray, Scotland, attending from 1933-1939. He was the first of three generations of royals to attend the school, with Prince Charles boarding in the 1960s, and Princess Anne's children enrolling in the 1990s.
The engagement of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth
Prince Philip's engagement to Princess Elizabeth was announced on 9 July 1946, after he asked permission from her father, King George VI. In order to marry into the British Royal family, Prince Philip became a British citizen, and renounced his Greek title in favour of Mountbatten, the anglicised version of his mother's name. He also agreed not to invite his sisters to the wedding, as they were all married to Germans and tensions were still high following the war.
The Royal Wedding
Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. He received new titles, including the Duke of Edinburgh, for which he is best known, and his Royal Highness. It is estimated around 200 million people tuned into the BBC radio broadcast of the wedding.
First time father
In 1948, Prince Philip became a father for the first time when Princess Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles. Princess Anne was born two years later.
Consort to the monarch
King George VI died 6 February 1952, making his oldest daughter Princess Elizabeth, Queen. This made the Duke of Edinburgh consort to Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation took place on 2 June 1953 and was an important feature in making television a mainstream medium, with over 20 million people tuning in to watch.
The Duke of Edinburgh award
In 1956, Prince Philip launched the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, which aims to prepare young people for adult life by developing essential skills, confidence and resilience. Today, hundreds of thousands of young people complete the award every year across 144 nations.
Meeting JFK
In 1961, a banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in honour of American President John F Kennedy. This was the President's last visit to Buckingham Palace before he was assassinated two years later. Prince Philip attended his funeral.
A family of six
In 1960 Prince Andrew was born, followed by Prince Edward in 1964. This completed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's immediate family.
Royal Family documentary
In 1969, a television documentary entitled 'Royal Family' aired to an audience of over 30 million in the UK, before being sold worldwide, achieving over 350 million views. However, the Queen had the documentary banned and it has not been shown on TV in the UK since 1977. The documentary offered insight into the lives of the Queen and her family in an attempt to revive public interest in the Royals.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Prince Philip's oldest son, Prince Charles, married 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. Almost 1 billion viewers tuned in across 74 countries to watch the ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was considered hugely important because whoever Prince Charles married would one day become Queen.
Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral
The world was shook when Diana, Princess of Wales died suddenly in a car accident in August 1997. Hundreds of thousands of well wishers lined the streets on the day of her funeral, which saw Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Diana's brother accompany Princes William and Harry in walking behind the funeral car.
Diamond wedding anniversary
In 2007, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary- 60 years of marriage! They have since made it to their platinum anniversary, celebrating in 2017.
A family man
Prince Philip has eight grandchildren, including heir to the throne Prince William. He also has nine great-grandchildren and counting, with two more on the way in 2021.
Tipping his hat to a lifetime of service
At the age of 96, Prince Philip carried out his final solo public engagement in August 2017, before tipping his hat in acknowledgement of a lifetime of service.
Prince Philip dies aged 99
Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99 on the 9th April 2021. The Duke's funeral took place on 17 April 2021 in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
It was announced last week that Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, had sadly passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement, “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces 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.
“Further announcements will made in due course.
“The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
After the Queen chose to return to Royal duties earlier this week, it has now been announced that Prince Phillip's funeral, held at St George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle, will take place at 3pm on Saturday 17th April.
The event will be televised, with coverage starting from 12.30pm.
Now read:
Tributes paid to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
The legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Looking back at Prince Philip's charity work