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."
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."
