Prince Edward Speaks Out After Death of His ‘Beloved Mama’ Queen Elizabeth II: ‘We Have Been Overwhelmed By the Tide of Emotion’

usmagazine.com:

Mourning a tragic loss. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, honored his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, with a touching tribute following her death at age 96.“As a family, we have grown up learning to share our parents, especially our beloved mama, with the Nation, her Realms and the Commonwealth,” via the royal family’s Instagram account on Friday, September 16. “While it has been lovely to have spent time saying our own farewell privately at Balmoral, it is now time to allow others to be able to say their farewell.”The post included a video of Edward and wife Sophie Rhys-Jones lighting candles during the vigil at Westminster Hall on Friday. “We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us,” the earl continued. “And now, we are there for her, united in grief.

Thank you for your support, you have no idea how much it means.”The Cambridge University alum shared that the “Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives,” noting that he and the Countess of Wessex, 57, “have taken huge pleasure”  in seeing daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and son James, Viscount Severn, 14, “enjoying the places and activities that their grandparents” also loved. “Those happy memories have now become massively precious to each and every one of us,” he said.The prince concluded, “May God bless Her Majesty and may her memory be long cherished even as the baton she has carried for these past 70 years now passes to the next generation and to my brother, Charles.