It’s been one year since Prince Philip passed away at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth marked the anniversary of her beloved husband’s death on Saturday, April 9, with a poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.
The poem titled “The Patriarchs – An Elegy” was set to a montage of photos of the late Duke of Edinburgh, including snapshots of Philip with his wife, children and great-grandchildren. “Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the first anniversary of his death,” the caption alongside the video reads.
The poem begins: “The weather in the window this morning is snow, unseasonal singular flakes, a slow winter’s final shiver. On such an occasion to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up for a whole generation - that crew whose survival was always the stuff of minor miracle, who came ashore in orange-crate coracles, fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.”
“Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets, regrouped at breakfast. What their secrets were was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business. Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case in a family heirloom of nesting dolls,” it continues. “Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders. They were sons of a zodiac out of sync with the solar year, but turned their minds to the day’s big science and heavy questions. To study their hands at rest was to picture maps showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions.
© Getty ImagesThe poem concludes: “Last of the great avuncular magicians they kept their best tricks for the grand finale: Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely. The major oaks in the wood start tuning up and skies to come will deliver their tributes. But for now, a cold April’s closing moments parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s social media accounts shared the video. In addition to the video, Clarence House also paid tribute to Philip on the first anniversary of his death with three photos of the late Duke, which were captioned: “Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh today, one year since his passing.”
Prince Philip, whom Her Majesty once called “my strength and stay,” passed away peacefully on April 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle. Late last month, members of the royal family gathered for a Service of Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinbugh. The memorial service, attended by the Queen’s four children, grandchildren—minus Prince Harry—and five of her great-grandchildren, on March 29 celebrated the life and work Prince Philip. Some elements planned for the Duke’s funeral last year that were unable to go ahead due to Covid restrictions in place at the time were featured at the service.
