After Prince Philip passed away, people are reminiscing on memories through the decades, including the time he comforted JFK Jr. after his father’s assassination. Author Paul Brandus first brought up that moment in time in a tweet, quoting the anecdote from a book called The Death of a President.
“A story about Prince Philip, who died today at 99,” Brandus writes in the tweet. “The weekend of the Kennedy assassination, he flew to Washington for the funeral. At the White House on Sunday, Nov. 24, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy was looking for John Jr. and opened the door to his playroom.”
Prince Philip comforted JFK Jr. in the sweetest way following his father’s assassination
A story about Prince Philip, who died today at 99. The weekend of the Kennedy assassination, he flew to Washington for the funeral. At the White House on Sunday, Nov. 24, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy was looking for John Jr. and opened the door to his playroom. There she found (more)
— West Wing Report (Edited by Paul Brandus) (@WestWingReport) April 9, 2021
He continues, “There she found the Prince sprawled on the floor, playing and laughing with the murdered president’s son. Days from his [3rd] birthday, John had said earlier that he “didn’t have anybody to play with” (also: “where’s Daddy?”) and her Majesty’s husband decided that he would entertain the boy. RIP.”
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Brandus also shared a long-forgotten photo of Philip holding the boy’s hand during a ceremony in Britain a year and a half later. “In May 1965, the British government gave an acre of land to the United States for a memorial to the murdered president at Runnymede – site, 750 years earlier, of King John signing the Magna Carta. Here, John Jr. holds hands with his Mom and the Prince,” he captions the photo.
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…in May 1965, the British government gave an acre of land to the United States for a memorial to the murdered president at Runnymede – site, 750 years earlier, of King John signing the Magna Carta. Here, John Jr. holds hands with his Mom and the Prince pic.twitter.com/0dYzzurTcd— West Wing Report (Edited by Paul Brandus) (@WestWingReport) April 9, 2021
Three decades after the death of JFK, Philip would become another support system for children grieving loss of a parent – Prince Harry and Prince William after they lost their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. It was their grandfather Philip who was there with them every step of the way as they both decided to walk with their mom’s casket during the public funeral procession.
It’s tragic to note that the body Philip consoled all those years ago sadly lost his life at the early age of 38 in 1999. Now, following Philip’s death, Harry and William are expected to walk beside their grandfather’s casket as they did for their late mother.