The Earl of Wessex has issued a statement following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen passed away on 8th September at Balmoral, her Scottish home.
Edward opens his tribute by recognising his parents were public figures, especially his ‘beloved mama’ and they had to be shared with ‘the Nation, her Realms and the Commonwealth’. He notes the family were grateful to have said their goodbyes privately at Balmoral but that it is now time to ‘allow others to be able to say their farewell’.
Prince Edward and Sophie, The Earl Countess of Wessex, and their daughter Lady Louise Windsor attend a church service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, following the death of Prince Philip in 2021. The Earl issued a statement marking his mother’s death.
The Queen’s youngest son says the family ‘have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us’.
A similar sentiment was echoed in The Princess Royal’s statement earlier this week.
‘And now, we are there for her, united in grief. Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means’. Prince Edward states that ‘the Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives’.
He mentions how he and his wife, Sophie, have taken ‘huge pleasure’ in seeing their two children, Louise and James ‘enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents loved so much’, like carriage driving, a shared passion of Louis and Prince Philip’s.
The family raised their children at Bagshot, just a few minutes’ drive from Windsor Castle.
Bagshot Park, home of The Earl and Countess of Wessex in Surrey. The property is part of the Crown Estate.
Edward likes to think given the amount of time they spent with their grandmother, she also ‘enjoyed watching those passions blossom. Those times together, those happy memories, have now become massively precious to each and every one of us’.
Edward concludes his statement by thanking his mother and saying ‘the baton she has carried for these past 70 years now passes to the next generation and to my brother, Charles’.
‘Long Live The King’.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex have attended a number of events over the last week following the death of the Queen. They viewed tributes outside Balmoral, alongside other members of the Royal Family. The Wessex family took part in the Service at Westminster Hall on Wednesday, where Edward walked behind his mother’s coffin. The couple were in Manchester yesterday, where they greeted the public who had offered their condolences to the family.
The Countess of Wessex had a close relationship to the Queen and has been seen to be visibly upset throughout the week as she viewed tributes to her late mother-in-law. It is thought the pair became closer after the death of Sophie’s mother in 2005, and known they shared an interest in military history.
