As the period of mourning the loss of Prince Philip continues, we're learning more about what his life was like in his final weeks.
The Duke of Edinburgh was released from the hospital on March 16 after a monthlong stay. He went home to Windsor Castle, where his time was spent in many of the ways he usually enjoyed.
Through most of this time, Queen Elizabeth was by his side. Royal sources indicate that she began preparing herself for the possibility of losing her husband during his hospitalization. It's believed his decision to go home was rooted in his desire to die in his own bed.
Prince Philip's days between his release from the hospital and his death at the age of 99 were full of peace and time with the Queen. Multiple sources are opening up about what the last days of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in his bed at Windsor Castle, were like.
"No longer the decisive man of action who had devoted a lifetime to supporting her, she was now able to repay him," royal expert Richard Kay of the Daily Mail shared.
"Domestic timetables such as mealtimes were torn up to accommodate him when he felt he was strong enough to join her. Even with failing health signalling that his life was drawing to a close, the two were still able to enjoy time with each other as they always had."
"In recent weeks he would often sleep for much of the day, but there were moments of great lucidity and joyful togetherness," he continued.
"One such moment came when he dropped his reading glasses. A footman in attendance leapt forward to pick them up. 'Never mind,' the duke said, raising his arm. 'I'll do it.' And so he did, bending down to the floor.
"On another occasion the Queen was overheard reflecting that her husband of 73 years was refusing to use his hearing aid. 'It means we have to shout.'"
Philip was still dressing himself on days he felt well enough to venture outside of his room. He'd even go outside and take in the sun with a blanket on his lap, often with the Queen beside him.
"Walking was difficult and around his apartment he used a stick," an aide shared.
"Occasionally he would allow himself to be pushed in a wheelchair but staff were wary of suggesting it. When it first appeared in the private rooms he shouted: 'Get that bloody thing out of my sight!'"
On Thursday, as his condition worsened, there were suggestions made about bringing him back to the hospital. The Queen shut them down, determined to allow her husband his last wish.
After Sophie, Countess of Wessex, attended church services on Sunday with daughter Lady Louise and husband Prince Edward, she shared some insights into Philip's final hours.
"It was right for him," she told bystanders at the church, People magazine reports.
"It was so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went. Very, very peaceful. And that's all you want for somebody isn't it?"
A day prior, Sophie updated concerned press about the Queen's state. "The Queen has been amazing," she tearfully relayed.
Charles Anson, former press secretary to the Queen, told People that the Queen has been preparing for this moment for some time. "She would have thought about this moment several times, and her way would be to remain as steady and as calm as possible," he noted.
"That comes naturally to her through her temperament and her experience," he continued.
"In my years of working for her she was always calm, no matter what was going on. But for any human being, this is a very cathartic moment.
"There were some things they had to deal with together that were difficult, but it was a long marriage with a great deal of happiness. He took very seriously his role as a support for the Queen as monarch."
Prince Charles has been spotted visiting Windsor to support the Queen through this time. Sources say his sometimes strained relationship with Prince Philip had been turned around in recent years, with the time since the health crisis in particular bringing the two closer.
"It is some small comfort today that the prince was in much more regular contact with his father in recent weeks and months than he otherwise might have been," a source told the Daily Mail.
"He was the only family member who was able to visit him in hospital and he was at Windsor as recently as the week before last. They spoke a great deal."
