Philip’s death leaves Prince Charles as patriarch of royal family

Analysis: Prince of Wales will be increasingly at Queen's side as he takes role at a time of internal divisions

An indisputable truth of hereditary monarchy is that promotion to the top job" is accompanied by deep personal sorrow. So it will be for the Prince of Wales, who will eventually take the throne as he mourns his mother.

But the loss of his father will have had no less profound an effect on Prince Charles. And, though on any official level it does not alter his royal status, it does change the family dynamic.