How Prince Philip Welcomed ‘Newcomers’ To Royal Family Before His Death: Report

Prince Philip was welcoming to those who married into the royal family prior to his death on Friday, a royal expert says.

According to royal biographer Ingrid Seward, Queen Elizabeth's husband of 73 years guided all new members of the royal family, from Princess Diana to Meghan Markle, and made sure to look after them as they began taking on royal duties, Us Weekly reported.

"When Diana married into the family, Prince Philip really looked after her because he looks after all the girls — including Meghan when she first came into the family — because he knows what it’s like to be the new boy on the block or the new girl on the block and suddenly come into this family with all their strange protocols and everything else," Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told the outlet in October 2020.

According to Seward, who has written more than a dozen books on the British royal family, Prince Philip had expected those who joined the clan to be loyal to the monarchy.

"Philip, being a very intelligent man, he knew how to handle all these newcomers, but in return, he expected loyalty, and he expected that they, too, would have a sense of duty like he had," she added.

Princess Diana joined the royal family in July 1981 when she married Prince Charles, the Queen and Prince Philip's eldest son. However, the heir to the throne and the late Princess of Wales divorced in 1996.

Before the split, however, Prince Philip used to send Princess Diana letters to help her while her marriage with Prince Charles was crumbling, according to Seward.

"Diana was very grateful to him because basically she didn’t have to face seeing him that way. She could just deal with it in the letters, and he was helpful," the author added. "And he said things like, ‘Diana, [you] must remember that this monarchy is not a popularity contest. It’s all of us working together,’ which is probably something he could have said to Meghan to try and make these newcomers understand that … it’s about the institute of the monarchy as a whole."

As for his relationship with Markle, Seward said Prince Philip didn't get the chance to form a bond with the former actress as he had already retired by the time she married Prince Harry. However, the Duke of Sussex revealed on James Corden's show in February that they've talked to his grandfather and the Queen over Zoom since leaving the U.K. last year.

"Both my grandparents Zoom. We've Zoomed them a few times, they've seen Archie running around. My grandfather, instead of, like, pressing 'leave meeting', he just goes doof," the Duke of Sussex shared while imitating someone slamming down the laptop. "I'm like, OK, bye!"

The Duke of Edinburgh also appeared to have had a good relationship with Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, according to some experts. Body language expert Judi James earlier suggested that they shared the same sense of humor and he found a "perfect partner in crime" in Middleton.

"These delightful poses suggest unexpectedly rich bonds between Kate and Prince Philip based on not just affection but also a shared sense of humor and fun," James told Express of a photo of them laughing together. "Her dimpled smile and softened eye expression show genuine affection but her fully opened-mouth laugh suggests she's finding Philips comments genuinely hilarious."