William And Kate Release Stunning Photograph Of Queen And Prince Philip With Seven Of Their Great-Grandchildren

Apr 15, 2021

Since Prince Philip's death on April 9, 2021, there have been a significant number of tributes and condolences pouring in. His singular and incredible life continues to be remembered and celebrated by his family. Philip's passing ends his reign as the longest-serving royal spouse, having served alongside Queen Elizabeth II for 65 years and having been married to the monarch for 73 years in total.

The Royal Family will be arranging a funeral, and it is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17. It is expected to have a limited number of guests due to the current coronavirus pandemic. The grief of his passing has been deep in the United Kingdom, but his family is also sharing the happier times spent with him.  

Elizabeth and the late Philip have four children and quite a few grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of whom are not in the public eye as often as the main members of the royal family. The youngest of the lot, the great-grandchildren, are generally away from the spotlight, save for Prince William's children, George, Charlotte, Louis, and Prince Harry's children, Archie and soon-to-be-here baby girl, who frequently make apperences on television and tabloids. 

There are certainly more to the bunch, and most of them are seen in a recent photograph released by the official Instagram account shared by Prince William and Kate Middleton. Released on 15 April 2021, the photo from 2018 features seven of the Queen's great-grandchildren but does not include the ones born afterward. Regardless, it shows the deep bond the entire royal family shares even if it isn't seen in the media. 

The photo was taken by Kate Middleton, whose photographs have frequently been posted on the official Instagram handle of Prince William and Kate. The beautiful photographs have given Middleton the title of "unofficial royal photographer" as per Town And Country Mag. The most recent photograph posted by Middleton is from 2018 and features Elizabeth and Philip with seven of their great-grandchildren: William and Kate's children George, Charlotte, and baby Louis, as well as Princess Anne's grandchildren, Savannah and Isla Phillips, and Lena and Mia Tindall. 

The caption for the photograph reads, "Captured by The Duchess of Cambridge 📷 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by seven of their great-grandchildren at Balmoral Castle in 2018."

In 2018, these seven were the only great-grandchildren but since then, there have been three new additions and one more to come. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie, was the next one to be born, followed by Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's 2-month-old son August, and Zara Tindall and Michael Tindall's newborn son Lucas. Markle is expecting a baby girl due in the summer of 2021, who will be the eleventh great-grandchild for Elizabeth. 

Due to her pregnancy, Markle could not attend the upcoming funeral of Philip as she was not cleared for air travel. Harry, however, has arrived in the UK already is currently in quarantine. While earlier it was believed that many members of the royal family would be in their military uniforms for the funeral, this is no longer the case, and the family will wear suits instead. 

Since Philip's death, there have been an array of remembrances and tributes posted by individual royal families. A beautiful tribute was posted by Willaim to the official Instagram of the Cambridges, which, in part, read,

"...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!..."

Harry and Markle also posted a heartwarming message on their official website for Philip, which read,

"...So, on that note, Grandpa, thank you for your service, your dedication to Granny, and for always being yourself. 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."

Prince Charles also paid tribute to his father, saying,

"...My dear Papa was a very special person who I think above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time. Thank you."

In an oft-quoted speech on the date of Elizabeth and Philip’s 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, the queen called her husband her “strength and stay," and reiterated the same thoughts in her own photo tribute to her late husband, which was posted to the official royal Instagram handle. 

What do you think of this beautiful photograph of the great-grandchildren? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to let your friends know about this heartwarming post as well.