Australian artists behind Prince Philip’s last official portrait speaks out: “It was a real privilege”
The Australian artist who created Prince Philip's final official portrait has revealed what his interactions were like with the late royal ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
Ralph Heimans was tasked with painting the Duke of Edinburgh after he retired from royal duties in 2017.
He opened up to the Sky News Daily podcast on what it was like to spend time with the royal.
"As you can imagine, he's full of humour but underlying that there's a sense of seriousness about the portrait," Heimans said.
"And I think he was very engaged throughout the process; he enjoyed it very much and was very chatty afterwards and so it was a really enjoyable experience as well as a very extraordinary privilege."
The artwork portrays the royal standing in the grand corridor at Windsor Castle, which is located in the private quarters he shared with Queen Elizabeth.
Prince Philip is standing side-on, with his arms behind his back, and adorned in a smart evening attire.
The royal sadly passed at Windsor Castle on April 9 after weeks of treatment in hospital, at the age of 99.
Reports say Prince Philip took a turn for the worse just a day before his death.
The Queen reportedly resisted suggestions that the royal be taken back to hospital in order to grant her husband's wish of dying at home.
Following Prince Philip's death, Heimans shared two photos of his portrait on to Instagram.
"It was a real privilege to paint this portrait of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 2017 when he retired from public duty after carrying out 22,219 engagements," he wrote.
"My thoughts are with his family."
Prince Philip will be laid to rest at 3 pm (12 am AEST) on Saturday April 17.