Many were surprised when the embattled Prince Andrew spoke to reporters about his father Prince Philip’s death a few days ago, and now, a source has come forward to claim that the palace was shocked by this move as well.

Last Sunday, Andrew spoke out publicly for the first time since he stepped away from public life after his disastrous interview about his ties to the late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in November of 2019. Andrew, the 61 year-old son of Philip and Queen Elizabeth, talked to reporters after attending church at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Castle along with other members of the royal family.

“I loved him as a father,” Andrew said. “He was so calm…He was always someone you could go to and he would always listen. We’ve lost, almost, the grandfather of the nation. And I feel very sorry and supportive of my mother, who’s feeling it probably more than everybody else.”

Andrew added that the Queen “described it as having left a huge void in her life.”

“But we, the family, the ones that are close to her, are rallying around to make sure we are there to support her,” he said.

"We've lost almost the grandfather of the nation"

Prince Andrew describes the Duke of Edinburgh as a "remarkable man" and says his death has left "huge void" for the Queenhttps://t.co/SyGxs5x8Sm pic.twitter.com/8j0MOfHCJj

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 11, 2021

True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen told Fox News that while he wasn’t surprised that Andrew spoke out, many others were, including the palace.

“I understand that the palace was surprised by Prince Andrew speaking to the cameras because, of course, he’s been keeping an incredibly low profile,” Bullen said.

“That said, it was Andrew’s father who died,” he continued. “It was a personal statement from a son about losing his father. So I personally think he should be allowed to speak out. It wasn’t an official role. He attended a private church service and the question was asked to him concerning how he felt about losing his father.”

Bullen went on to defend Andrew for speaking out about the death of his late father.

“Yes, people were a little bit surprised when Prince Andrew spoke out, but I think that’s slightly unfair,” Bullen explained. “I think he should be allowed to speak his truth about his father.”

Philip died last Friday at Windsor Castle at the age of 99. His funeral is set to take place tomorrow with just thirty people in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will be broadcast live so that millions of people around the world can watch as well.