Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Tribute To Prince Philip Criticized On Twitter: ‘Cold’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle posted a touching tribute to Prince Philip after the Duke of Sussex's grandfather died Friday at 99.

Following Buckingham Palace's announcement of the Duke of Edinburgh's passing, Prince Harry and Markle shared a short statement expressing their grief over Prince Philip's death. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted their message on the homepage of their nonprofit organization's official website, Archewell, similar to how the royal family's official website paused content to honor the late royal.

"In loving memory of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021," they wrote. "Thank you for your service...you will be greatly missed."

Some Twitter users were not impressed with the couple's tribute to Prince Philip, calling it "cold."

"How cold and unfeeling, just awful," one wrote, while another said, "What has happened to the love for his grandfather, this has come across as very cold."

"I am astonished at the lack of affection in the Harry and Meghan statement. It read; 'Thank you for your service. You will be greatly missed.' He wasn't a distant relative they hadn't seen in years. Philip was his grandfather for God's sake. Where's the love? LA is ruining him," Kelvin Mackenzie wrote.

"Do you call 'Thank you for your service' a loving tribute? It sounds like a message to an employee who has passed away, and not Harry’s beloved Grandfather, Prince Philip," another user added.

Wrote another, "I’m sorry...your grandfather dies and the best your social media empire can manage is, “thank you for your service” on an MS Paint graphic?"

But others came to Prince Harry and Markle's defense, noting that the brief message doesn't tell the whole story and pointing out that the Sussexes were likely grieving privately during this time.

"Minimal and beautiful," one person said of their tribute.

One Twitter user shared their own experience with a loved one's passing, writing, "When I lost my mum the first message I wrote seemed cold and detached. I was in shock. A week later when I had better processed everything, I wrote a long tribute detailing just how much she meant to me. Please allow Harry to grieve however he wants."

"Harry had been speaking to his Grandfather regularly via Zoom even joked about how Phillip disconnected the calls. Why not put a sock in it and let Harry grieve in peace the way YOU would want if it was your Grandfather!" another wrote.

"Let Harry grieve his own way without judgement," a fourth user wrote.

"Oh I’m sorry were you expecting Harry and Meghan to write a whole college level essay on how much they miss Philip? Gtfoh when my grandfather passed away almost 3 years ago, I didn’t post anything about him on social media you don’t get to tell them how to grieve," another commented.

Buckingham Palace first broke the news of Prince Philip's death Friday in a statement that was shared across the royal family's social media channels.

"It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh," the palace announced. "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."