Royal Family members have paid a heartfelt tribute to Prince Philip on the first anniversary of his death.
A video montage to honour the Duke of Edinburgh, who died weeks before his 100th birthday, was shared on social media accompanied by a reading of The Patriarchs – An Elegy by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.
The footage shows the duke at various points in his life, including when he was a boy, his wedding day to the Queen and the birth of their children.
One black and white picture shows him tenderly resting his chin on the shoulder of his wife, to whom he was married for 73 years.
Originally published on the day of Philip’s funeral last year, the poem pays tribute to his distinguished career in the Royal Navy.
It reads: “On such an occasion / to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up / for a whole generation – that crew whose survival / was always the stuff of minor miracle, / who came ashore in orange-crate coracles, / fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea / with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.”
The duke’s generation is described in the poem as “husbands to duty”, “great-grandfathers from birth” and “last of the great avuncular magicians”.
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In its final verse, it reads: “But for now, a cold April’s closing moments / parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon / snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.”
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, together with Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, also shared tributes online.
The Clarence House Twitter account posted: “Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh today, one year after his passing”, alongside some family photos.
The Royal Family Instagram account also shared a picture of Her Majesty and the duke leaving St Paul’s Cathedral together in 1968, as part of a 70-day countdown to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
A picture will be shared daily to represent the monarch’s 70-year long reign.
A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)
The Queen is believed to be at Windsor Castle and it is understood she will mark the first anniversary of the death of her husband privately.
The monarch appeared tearful as she made her first public appearance in five months at a service of thanksgiving for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on 29 March.
The Right Revd David Conner, Dean of Windsor, paid tribute to the duke’s “courage, integrity, steadfastness and sense of purpose” and his “lifetime of commitment to the making of this world a better place.”
The Queen, who has had trouble walking recently, was assisted to her seat by Prince Andrew, seen in public for the first time since he settled his sex abuse case.
Her Majesty has pulled out of the annual Maundy Day church service to be held next Thursday and for the first time will be represented by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Buckingham Palace announced.
The annual event is an important fixture in the royal calendar, with the Prince of Wales expected to follow the ancient tradition of distributing Maundy money to community stalwarts.
The Queen – who will mark her 96th birthday on 21 April ahead of Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June – used her Christmas message to pay a moving tribute to the duke, describing how his “mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him”.
