Queen Elizabeth's Most Moving Quotes About Prince Philip
"He has been a constant strength and guide."
On the morning of April 9, 2021, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at age 99. Philip had ended his royal duties in 2017 after more than 22,000 appearances. While it's rare for those in the royal family to display public affection, over their 73 years of marriage the Queen has shared her love and respect for Prince Philip with the world.
Below, some of the most touching things she's said about her late husband.
On Strength
"During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure. Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide." —Diamond Jubilee speech, 2012
"All too often, I fear, Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking. Frequently we have discussed my intended speech beforehand and, as you will imagine, his views have been expressed in a forthright manner. He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know." —Golden Wedding Anniversary speech, 199
On Marriage
"If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it."—Silver Wedding speech, 1972
"I don't know that anyone had invented the term platinum' for a 70th wedding anniversary when I was born. You weren't expected to be around that long." —During her 2017 Christmas message
On His Sense of Humor:
"Even Prince Philip has decided it’s time to slow down a little—having, as he economically put it, “done his bit”. But I know his support and unique sense of humour will remain as strong as ever.’"—During her 2017 Christmas message
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Megan DiTrolio is the editor of features and special projects at Marie Claire, where she oversees all career coverage and writes and edits stories on women’s issues, politics, cultural trends, and more. In addition to editing feature stories, she programs Marie Claire’s annual Power Trip conference and Marie Claire’s Getting Down To Business Instagram Live franchise.
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