Us Weekly: Prince Philip Was Extremely Fond of His Grandson Prince Harry despite Royal Tensions

Despite the high tensions amid the royal family towards Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and his late grandfather Prince Philip shared a tight bond. The Duke of Edinburgh was quite fond of his grandson.

Before Prince Philip’s passing, the royal family was plagued with tension, especially towards Prince Harry, who stepped back from royal duties last year. However, the drama in the family didn’t cloud Philip’s affection for his grandson.

According to a palace source who spoke to US Weekly, the late Duke of Edinburgh had a unique bond with Prince Harry that transcended the fallout from him and Meghan’s CBS special with Oprah Winfrey.

The insider noted that the late royal loved his grandson deeply and thought tenderly towards him. The source explained how their relationship played out during Prince Philip’s last days, saying:

“Whilst they may not have been able to communicate during the final year or so of his life, Philip thought extremely fondly of his grandson and vice versa.”

The bond the grandfather-grandson duo shared was recently displayed in a throwback photo of the Duke of Edinburgh that went viral on social media. The vintage image was one of Philip on the 1957 cover of a Paris magazine.

[Meghan] believes that the funeral presents Harry with an excellent time to fix his strained relationship with Prince William.

Fans compared a younger Philip, who was 36 at the time of the photoshoot, to the Duke of Sussex, who is currently at that same age. Many noted that they had similar mischievous smiles, full red beards, and blue eyes.

According to reports, Prince Philip’s fondness for Prince Harry was extended to his granddaughter-in-law, Meghan Markle. A friend of the duchess noted that she deeply adored the patriarch.

Although Meghan wasn’t able to join her husband for Prince Philip’s burial, a source claimed that her absence wasn’t going to affect the close relationship she has with the Queen negatively.

The monarch reportedly understands why she can’t be present and would want Meghan to be safe. Also, the Duchess of Sussex believes that the funeral presents Harry with an excellent time to fix his strained relationship with Prince William.

Prince Harry arrived in the United Kingdom on Sunday, April 11, two days after Prince Philip's death was announced. Per royal sources, Harry reportedly felt guilty and upset that he wasn’t around to say goodbye to his grandfather.