Almost a week has passed since the unfortunate death of the Duke of Edinburgh and in these days all sorts of images and anecdotes of the husband of the Queen Elizabeth. With a life documented in detail over the years, it has not been surprising that there is an extensive collection of images and portraits in which the evolution of a man delivered to the service has been seen. From those images that show a blond baby in Greece, the little crescent in different boarding schools in which he excelled in the arts and sports, his impressive naval career, to his last years in active service, of course , without missing the most special, the photographs that make an account of his relationship of more than seven decades with the Queen. Among these images stands out one, the last official portrait that was painted of the Duke, at that time, under the pretext of commemorating his retirement from public life in 2017.
SEE GALLERY
MORE NEWS LIKE THIS
‘He has been my constant strength and my guide’, the Queen’s words about Philip over the years
Elizabeth II resumed her royal duties at the Palace after the death of Philip of Edinburgh
At that time, a gallant Prince Philip was laying in the corridors of Windsor Castle, the same place where he took his last breath. Australian artist Ralph Heimans was able to capture each of the Duke’s characteristic seals and after Philip’s death, he has shared some details behind his various encounters with the Prince. For this portrait it was decided that the best place would be the large corridor within the private rooms he shared with the Queen.
On his website, the Australian went into detail about the place the Duke had decided to put. Although one might think that this was any aisle or that it was chosen for an aesthetic aspect, the reality is that this point of residence had a special meaning for the Duke. As revealed by the artist, both Felipe’s mother and grandmother were born in a room located at the end of the corridor known as the Tapestry Room..
Another curiosity that can be seen in this portrait in which nothing was left to chance, is the picture next to it on the wall known as The Family of Queen Victoria, painted in 1887 by Tüxen, in which they can see Princess Alice -Mother of Philip- and her grandmother, Princess Victoria, in company of Queen Victoria, Sitting in the Green Drawing Room -the same setting as the official wedding portrait of Harry and Meghan-.
SEE GALLERY
The amazing story of Philip’s mother: the princess who became a nun
In an interview with the podcast Sky News Daily, The artist explained how they spent the fun hours of posing, in which the Prince remembered his own work in front of the easel. It is well known that over the years the Duke enjoyed painting and that it was not uncommon for him in his time on the high seas, to put his canvas on the deck of the Britannia to paint the sea and the landscape. “His pose, in fact, was a lot of fun. As you can imagine, he was full of humor but underneath that was the sense of seriousness of the portrait. And I think he was very involved in the process; it was very enjoyable and very talkative afterwards, so it was a truly enjoyable experience as well as a very extraordinary privilege, ”Heimans said.
How the Duke was tied to Queen Victoria
Despite being born in Greece, Philip’s blood was British, German and Danish – something that was also documented in the portrait through the Order of the Elephant that was given to him by this Royal House. The Prince was linked to Queen Victoria through his mother who was the great-granddaughter of the mythical monarch. Princess Alice, the Duke’s mother, bore this name in honor of her grandmother, daughter of Queen Victoria, so it has not been uncommon for the Prince’s mother and grandmother to have been born in Windsor Castle.
SEE GALLERY