Royal family pay tribute to the late Prince Philip on anniversary of his death

The Royal Family has paid tribute to the late Prince Philip, one year after his heartbreaking passing.

To mark the year anniversary since the Duke of Edinburgh passed away on April 9, 2021, a poem written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was shared on the Royal Family's Official Instagram account.

The post included a montage of photos of the late Prince Philip, including some images of him with the Queen and their children over the years, while the poem was read over the footage.

The caption included the full poem The Patriarchs - An Elegy.

It read: "The Patriarchs – An Elegy’ by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. Remembering His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on the first anniversary of his death."

The poem reads: "The weather in the window this morning is snow, unseasonal singular flakes, a slow winter’s final shiver. On such an occasion to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up for a whole generation - that crew whose survival was always the stuff of minor miracle, who came ashore in orange-crate coracles, fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.

"Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets, regrouped at breakfast. What their secrets were was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business. Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case

"in a family heirloom of nesting dolls. Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders.

"They were sons of a zodiac out of sync with the solar year, but turned their minds to the day’s big science and heavy questions. To study their hands at rest was to picture maps showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions. Last of the great avuncular magicians they kept their best tricks for the grand finale: Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely.

"The major oaks in the wood start tuning up and skies to come will deliver their tributes. But for now, a cold April’s closing moments parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown."

The post has received a lot of attention, with many followers commenting on how "touching" the words are.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also re-shared the post on their Instagram Stories to mark the one year anniversary of Philip's death.

Just moments later and a black and white photograph of the couple - who were married for over 70 years - at St.Paul's Cathedral following a royal service in 1968, was posted on the site.

The image is part of the countdown to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Weekend, which will see an unseen image of the Queen during her reign shared every day on the social media platform.

Prince Philip passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Windsor Castle on April 9 last year, just a few months short of his 100th birthday.

An intimate funeral took place on April 17, 2021, and just last month a memorial service for the late royal was held at London's Westminster Abbey to honour his services.