'Will you walk with me?': How Prince Philip comforted William and Harry after Diana's death
Prince Philip's death on Friday has seen a range of anecdotes emerge from the Duke of Edinburgh's life in the royal spotlight.
One of the most touching stories about the Queen's late husband relates to the way he rallied around grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry in the wake of Princess Diana's death in 1997.
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Prince Philip walked in Princess Diana's 1997 funeral procession with his grandsons. Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
The two princes, 15 and 12 at the time, were staying at their grandparents' Balmoral estate in Scotland when their mother was killed in a car accident in Paris.
In her book The Diana Chronicles, journalist Tina Brown says Philip's "gruff tenderness" was key to helping them through the aftermath of the tragedy.
"A member of the Balmoral staff noted that Prince Philip, who had effectively lost his own mother at the age of 10 when she was committed for three years to an asylum in Switzerland, was brilliantly effective with his grandsons, offering them gruff tenderness and outdoor activities like stalking and hiking to tire them out," Brown wrote.
Philip was committed to his grandsons' wellbeing in the aftermath of their mother's death. Getty
The duke also supported his grandsons through the harrowing experience of walking behind their mother's coffin during her funeral procession in London.
William initially refused to take part, but Philip believed his grandson would ultimately regret that decision.
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So, during a dinner before the funeral, he offered the teenage prince a pact: "If I walk, will you walk with me?"
Philip quietly spoke to William and Harry about landmarks along the procession route. AP
On September 6, 1997, they did just that.
Prince Philip walked alongside William and Harry, joined by Prince Charles and Diana's brother Charles Spencer, in the funeral procession on September 6, 1997.
As they walked from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey, the duke quietly spoke to the boys about each of the historic landmarks they passed along the way. It was his gentle way to "keep [them] from breaking down", Brown writes.
Prince Philip in July 2020 AP
The royal family confirmed Prince Philip's death on April 9 in a statement on the Queen's behalf.
"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," it read.
"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."
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