Prince Harry is mourning the loss of a very special person in his life—his grandfather, Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth II's husband of 73 years and the longest-serving consort in British history, died Friday, April 9, just two months shy of his 100th birthday. "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," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."
As the world grieves the loss of the prominent royal figure, Harry and wife Meghan Markle have shared a tribute to the man they called family. In a statement shared to their Archewell website—which has temporarily became an in memoriam for Philip—the couple wrote, "Thank you for your service...you will be greatly missed."
Though Harry is now based in California, he is expected to fly back to the U.K. for his grandfather's funeral at St. George's Chapel, multiple outlets report.
Having both royal life and military experience in common, Philip and his grandson shared a special bond, one that was on full display in 2018 when the late Duke of Edinburgh attended Meghan and Harry's wedding just over a month after undergoing hip replacement surgery. The prince was 96 at the time and had announced his retirement from royal duties a year earlier.
"One of the reasons Harry wanted to wed sooner than later," royal expert Katie Nicholl wrote in her book, Harry: Life, Loss and Love, "was so that the Duke could see him married while he was still in good health."
Come May 2019, Harry and Meghan made a point to honor Philip while naming their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Mountbatten, of course, being Philip's adopted surname.
More recently, during an appearance on James Corden's late-night show, Harry mentioned his family's Zoom calls with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. "My grandfather, instead of pressing 'leave meeting,'" Harry explained, "he just goes [closes laptop]."