PRINCE William and Kate Middleton have vowed to “get on with the job” and stand beside the Queen in the years to come.
The couple say they will do as Prince Philip wanted and forge ahead with their royal duties after his death.
Read our live blog for the very latest news on Prince Philip’s death…
The couple shared their pledge to Brits in a moving tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.
“Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will continue to support the Queen in the years ahead,” William said.
“I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job.”
It comes as:
- Prince Philip thought Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview was “madness”, it’s claimed
- The Queen went to church and walked her corgi puppies on her first Sunday without her beloved husband
- Prince Harry has arrived back in the UK alone after medics advised his pregnant wife not to travel
- The Duke of Edinburgh told son Charles he must ‘lead the family and look after the Queen’ in hospital heart-to-heart
- Boris Johnson will not attend the funeral to allow more space for the Royal Family
The couple have big shoes to fill if they plan to keep up with the Duke’s busy schedule.
Philip was the Queen’s support in public at the most significant national moments.
Over the years, he carried out 22,219 solo engagements, and many thousands more at the monarch’s side.
Many have remembered him for his grit, work ethic and stiff upper lip.
In a statement released this afternoon, William told of his “extraordinary” grandfather.
A sweet photograph of the Duke sitting beside Prince George – which was taken by Kate – was also released.
Wills said: “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!
“My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation.”
Sources say Prince William was “devastated” at Philip’s death.
And those closest to the Queen have drawn around her to support her in the difficult days to come.
Prince Andrew is understood to have been among the first to return to Windsor Castle to comfort his mother.
He said yesterday his mother had a “huge void in her life”.
Meanwhile, Prince Edward said the monarch is “bearing up” – while his wife Sophie said she is “thinking of others before herself”.
The Queen is also said to be relying on friends and aides.
She is particularly close to her page Paul Whybrew, who appeared alongside Her Majesty in the James Bond sketch at the London 2012 games, and “humble” Angela Kelly, her personal assistant and senior dresser.
