The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to his "dear papa", the Duke of Edinburgh. Buckingham Palace first announced the news of Prince Philip's death in an official statement made on Friday morning, which reads: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle." Prince Charles said that his father, who died aged 99, had "given the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth," per the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56702886" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a>. He added that the Duke was a "much loved and appreciated figure." <img class="size-full wp-image-1263102192" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/04/BMBFGJ-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="1707" height="2560" />[[imagecaption|| (Credit: Alamy) ]] Speaking from his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire, Prince Charles said that over the past 70 years his father had "given the most remarkable, devoted service to the Queen, to my family and to the country, but also to the whole of the Commonwealth". He added that the royal family were "deeply touched" by the number of people around the world that shared "our loss and our sorrow". Referring to his father as "dear papa", he said he was a "very special person who... above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him". He concluded by saying his family were "deeply grateful" for the response to his passing, adding: "it will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time". [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1380820453665730562]] This comes after it was announced that the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral will be held this upcoming Saturday at St George's Chapel. It will be confined entirely to Windsor Castle after an eight-minute ceremonial procession within the castle grounds, per Buckingham Palace. The Queen, his children and his grandchildren will be in attendance. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex has confirmed that he will travel from California for the funeral, although his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, has been advised against travel by her doctor. The funeral has been reduced in scale due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While there will be no public access, the service and short procession will be televised. The royal family have asked that the public do not visit Windsor to pay their respects.

Prince Charles pays moving tribute to 'dear papa' Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

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