Prince Philip’s death on Friday occurred on a milestone date for his son Prince Charles and daughter-in-law Camilla Parker Bowles.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the Duke of Edinburgh died at age 99 on the morning of April 9 — the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s 16th wedding anniversary.
Charles, 72, and Camilla, 73, shared the same statement on their joint Instagram account as the one that Queen Elizabeth II released, which read in part, “The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
Charles and Camilla elected to marry in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall in England in 2005 since they were both divorcées. The pair also received a blessing of their union at St. George’s Chapel.
Charles was previously married to Princess Diana, with whom he shared Prince William and Prince Harry. They divorced in 1996, one year before the People’s Princess’ tragic death at age 36.
Camilla, for her part, was married to Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom she has two children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. They divorced in 1995.
While Charles and Camilla’s relationship had a rocky start — they began an affair during his marriage to Diana — their union has withstood the test of time.
Last year, ahead of Charles and Camilla’s 15th wedding anniversary, they posed for a sweet photo with their dogs, Bluebell and Beth.
They also thanked their followers in a separate video montage from their wedding day, writing, “Thank you for all the well wishes on Their Royal Highnesses’ 15th wedding anniversary!”
This year, however, many fans joined the couple in mourning Philip on what was supposed to be a day of celebration for them.
“So sad for Prince Charles that his father died on what is usually the happiest day of the year – his wedding anniversary. #royal,” one person tweeted.
A second Twitter user wrote, “It’s the anniversary of Prince Charles and Camilla today that’s absolutely heartbreaking Today is supposed to be joyful for them I’m really sad for the royals.”
