While Prince Philip was cherished by his eight grandchildren, he was just as adored by his many great-grandchildren.
WATCH: The Queen leaves Prince George presents everytime he stays over
In the lead-up to the duke’s funeral last week, Buckingham Palace shared a poignant, never-before-seen photo of Philip and the Queen with Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia and Lena Tindall, and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Since the photo was taken, Philip and the Queen have also become great-grandparents to Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, August Brooksbank and Lucas Tindall. Both August and Lucas have Philip as a middle name but sadly, due to COVID restrictions, Philip was never able to meet his namesakes.
“Philip liked to portray himself as an old grump, but the truth was he was very warm, especially with the little ones,” a palace insider shares.
Prince Philip especially took a special interest in his eldest great-grandson, Prince George, who is third in line to the throne. Having stood beside the Queen’s side during the entirety of her reign, he understood what it takes to rule and saw kingly qualities in William and Kate’s seven-year-old.
“He had a lot of time for George in particular, and often took him on outings in his buggy,” adds the source.
“Philip remarked a couple of times that he’s already showing signs of being an excellent king – he’s a boy who knows what he wants, and the duke appreciated that.”
Their close bond has never been more evident than in a new photo released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, featuring Philip and George sitting in a carriage.
“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,” Wills said.
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