It’s been four months since Prince Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years, tragically passed away at the age of 99. Now, his grandson Peter Phillips is speaking out to reveal what the hardest part of his funeral was.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, Philip’s funeral had to be conducted under social distancing rules, which meant that the Queen, 95, was forced to sit alone. Phillips said that this made things extremely difficult for the royal family.

“Our thoughts immediately went to my grandmother,” Phillips, 43, told the BBC. “We’ve been trying to support her as much as we can. Everybody saw the image of Her Majesty sitting alone. It would have been the same for any other family; the hardest part is not being able to hug those closest to the person who’s been lost.”

“It’s the same for a lot of families,” he added. “There have been some great sadnesses but at the same time you’ve got to try to take the positives out of these situations, whether that be new life or happy memories — that’s what you’ve got to focus on.”

Phillip is the Queen’s oldest grandchild, and he is the son of her daughter, Princess Anne. He went on to say that the one positive side of the pandemic is that his daughters Savannah, 10, and Isla, 9, have gotten to spend more time with their great-grandmother.

“They’re exceptionally lucky to have had two great-grandparents who have lived as long as they have,” he said. “My children certainly appreciate that and know that it’s something special.”

Phillips then said that his grandfather “lived a remarkable life and if any of us can even live half the life that he did, we would all be extraordinarily happy.” He also said that Philip, who was “a hugely influential figure in our lives,” would not want his family “moping around.”

“He would absolutely be wanting us to carry on in continuing the work that he’s been doing, well, he did, for all of those years supporting the Queen,” Phillips said.

The Queen has managed to stay busy since the death of Philip, as she has returned to many of her royal duties in the wake of his passing.