Prince William says he will 'miss my Grandpa' in emotional tribute to Prince Philip

12 April 2021, 14:07 | Updated: 12 April 2021, 14:36

The Duke of Cambridge has shared a previously unseen picture of Prince George with the Duke of Edinburgh as he made an emotional tribute to the late Royal.

William is the first of Philip's grandchildren to publicly honour his memory and in a statement spoke of his relationship with Kate and expressed his gratitude for the "kindness he showed her".

The future king summed up the duke saying his "...life was defined by service - to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family".

Over the weekend the duke's four children spoke movingly about the loss of their father and how the Queen is stoically coping after her husband of 73 years died peacefully on Friday.

Read more: William and Harry to walk behind Prince Philip’s coffin at funeral

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The duke said about Philip: "My grandfather's century of life was defined by service - to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family.

"I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life - both through good times and the hardest days.

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"I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness he showed her.

"I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour!

"My grandfather was an extraordinary man and part of an extraordinary generation. Catherine and I will continue to do what he would have wanted and will support The Queen in the years ahead. I will miss my Grandpa, but I know he would want us to get on with the job."

Kensington Palace tweeted the duke's statement together with a touching new photograph of a young Prince George with his great-grandfather Philip.

George, a future King, was pictured sat by the duke's side on the box seat of a carriage, as Philip held the reins and a whip.

Dressed in shorts and a knitted jumper, George is holding open a picture book in the taken in Norfolk in 2015.

Prince Harry has arrived back in the UK for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral without his pregnant wife Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex is believed to have arrived at Heathrow Airport on a British Airways flight from his new home in Los Angeles at 1:15pm on Saturday.

It marks the prince's first trip back to Britain since stepping down from royal duties and taking part in the bombshell Oprah interview with the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry was met by police officers and security personnel upon landing and was driven away in a Range Rover, according to The Sun newspaper.

Over the weekend, Buckingham Palace confirmed he would be returning to the UK for the funeral at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday.

However, Meghan Markle has been advised not to join him because she is heavily pregnant.