Harry releases eulogy for Prince Philip

Prince Harry says he and his family, including wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, will “always hold a special place” for Prince Philip in their hearts.

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the patriarch of Britain’s royal family and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died Friday at 99.

In a tribute posted on his Archewell Foundation’s website on Monday, Harry called his grandfather “a man of service, honor and great humor.”

“He was authentically himself, with a seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm — and also because you never knew what he might say next,” the 36-year-old royal family member said.

“He will be remembered as the longest reigning consort to the Monarch, a decorated serviceman, a Prince and a Duke,” Harry said. “But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ‘til the end.”

Harry’s eulogy for Philip comes after he and Meghan sat down for a bombshell interview last month with Oprah Winfrey as part of a CBS special. In the TV tell-all, the couple cited racism as one of the reasons they stepped away from their duties as full-time working members of the royal family last year before moving to California.

Meghan, a former American actress whose mother is Black and father is white, said that before her son with Harry was born in 2019, there were conversations within the royal family about “how dark his skin might be.”

Winfrey later said she was told by Harry that neither the queen nor Philip had made the skin tone remark.

Calling his grandfather a “rock” for his grandmother, the queen, Harry said in his statement, “while I could go on, I know that right now he would say to all of us, beer in hand, ‘Oh do get on with it!’ “

“So, on that note, Grandpa, thank you for your service, your dedication to Granny, and for always being yourself,” Harry said. “You will be sorely missed, but always remembered — by the nation and the world. Meghan, Archie, and I (as well as your future great-granddaughter) will always hold a special place for you in our hearts.”

Harry and Meghan revealed during the Winfrey interview that they are expecting their second child, a daughter, this spring.

Harry concluded his statement with the Latin motto of the Royal Marines, “per mare, per terram,” meaning, “By sea, by land.”