Prince Philip Was "Quite Ready to Die" But Queen Elizabeth Was Left With a "Huge Void"

"I have absolutely no desire to cling on to life unnecessarily. Ghastly prospect."

Prince Philip wearing a gray suit looking at Queen Elizabeth who is wearing a blue coat and pearls and smiling
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, and according to a royal expert, Queen Elizabeth's husband was "ready to die." The Queen, however, was reportedly struck by the "huge void" left by her husband after he passed.

Giles Brandreth, a royal biographer and close friend of the Royal Family, wrote about Prince Philip's death in the book Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait. According to Brandreth, Prince Philip told him (via the Daily Mail), "Death is part of life...You've got to face it. You've got to accept it—with a good grace." Philip continued, "When you get to my age, there's a lot of it about."

Brandreth also revealed that Prince Philip—who was 99 years old at the time of his death—had prepared himself for death, and didn't seem at all scared of the prospect. "I'm quite ready to die," Prince Philip told the biographer. "It's what happens—sooner or later. I certainly don't want to hang on until I am 100, like Queen Elizabeth [the Queen Mother]. I can't imagine anything worse." He continued, "I have absolutely no desire to cling on to life unnecessarily. Ghastly prospect."

Prince Philip's death must have been incredibly difficult for his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, to deal with. Their son, Prince Andrew, explained soon after Philip's death (via CNN), "The Queen, as you would expect, is an incredibly stoic person." He continued, "She described it as having left a huge void in her life but we, the family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we're there to support her."

Queen Elizabeth wearing an orange coat and hat and Prince Philip wearing a green coat

Queen Elizabeth felt "a huge void" after Prince Philip's death.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Brandreth also revealed that Queen Elizabeth sadly wasn't with her husband when he died. "The Queen was reported to have been at her husband's bedside when he died on the morning of April 9, 2021," the author wrote (via the Mirror). "In fact, I don't believe she was."

Brandreth explained, "The Duke of Edinburgh had been in a hospital bed, set up in his dressing room at Windsor Castle. That morning, he went to the bathroom, helped by a nurse." Upon returning, Philip "felt a little faint and wanted help getting back into bed," the author wrote. "The nurse called the Duke's valet and the Queen's page, Paul Whybrew, for help—and he died before the Queen could be called."

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.