The royal family have shared a poem in tribute to the late Prince Philip on the first anniversary of his death.
The elegy was written by the poet laureate Simon Armitage and shared via official royal social media accounts on Saturday.
Entitled The Patriarchs – An Elegy, the poem is read by Armitage over piano music and accompanied by a video montage of photographs from the Duke of Edinburgh’s life, including images of his wedding day and the birth of his four children.
First published on the day of his funeral last year, it pays particular tribute to his career in the Royal Navy.
It reads: “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.”
Armitage describes the duke’s generation as “husbands to duty”, “great-grandfathers from birth”, and “last of the great avuncular magicians” in the poem, before concluding in the final verse: “But for now, a cold April’s closing moments / parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon / snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.”
Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the first anniversary of his death.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 9, 2022
Find out more about his life and legacy at: https://t.co/6tFq2vjyNk
Words: ‘The Patriarchs – An Elegy’ by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage pic.twitter.com/WpB2L6D75K
The Queen – who described Philip as her “constant strength and guide” – is believed to be at Windsor Castle on Saturday and it is understood she will mark the first anniversary of the death of her husband privately.
Philip died in his sleep at his Windsor Castle home on 9 April 2021. His death was announced by Buckingham Palace just after midday. It was marked by hundreds of tributes from world leaders and dignitaries, as well as the charities he supported.
He became internationally recognised after marrying the Queen more than 70 years ago. He died just months before his 100th birthday.
Philip’s funeral at Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was attended by just 30 mourners due to Covid restrictions. The Queen was famously pictured sitting alone in the pews wearing a face mask.
The Dean of Windsor, Right Rev David Conner, paid tribute to the Duke’s achievements, as well as his shortcomings, at a recent service of thanksgiving for his life.
He described Philip as a man of “passionate commitment” who devoted his “intellectual and physical energy” to a “host of down to earth enterprises”.
However, Rev Conner said the Duke could also be “abrupt” in a “robust conversation, forgetting just how intimidating he could be”.
