One of Prince Philip's family members has revealed a note that the Duke wrote to him not long before his death in April.
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The Duke of Edinburgh wrote to his German nephew, Prince Rainer of Hesse, son of his sister Sophie, days before his death on 9 April and the personal note has now been revealed.
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Writing about his sister Princess Sophie's German hunting lodge, he said: "I have the happiest memories of Wolfsgarten in the early 1930s, when the house was always full of relations and friends from across Europe."
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Rainer had requested earlier this year a foreword from the Duke to be included in a book, written and researched by him, about the history of Wolfsgarten. The Duke's personal note, which appeared on a German documentary and was shared on Twitter by @PackhamGown, reached Rainer at his palace a day before his death.
Twitter user @Packhamgown shared the note
According to the Duke's Private Secretary, Prince Philip wrote every word himself.
Prince Rainer was not invited to the Duke's scaled-down funeral in April, but three other German relatives did fly over: Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, 51, Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, 50, and Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, 54.
Philipp was a great-nephew of Prince Philip via his grandmother Princess Margarita, the Duke's eldest sister.
Ahead of the funeral, he said in a formal statement: "We are all extremely touched and privileged to be included on behalf of the wider family."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Philip's sister Sophie pictured in 1922
Bernhard was the grandson of Philip's second eldest sister, Princess Theodora and Prince Donatus was related to the late Duke of Edinburgh through marriage.
He was Philip's great-nephew by marriage to Princess Sophie, the Prince's youngest sister.
They all self-isolated in Ascot in preparation for the funeral at Windsor.
