Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild Peter Phillips praises King Charles for not ‘ripping up’ the rulebook his grandmother left him

Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips has praised his uncle, King Charles III, for his handling of his accession and honouring the memory and legacy his parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.

Mr Phillips – who at the time of his birth was fifth in line to the throne and is now 18th – said the King has been “remarkable” since taking the throne.

“Change is inevitable, some people don’t like it. But at the end of the day, I think the King has been remarkable in the way he has handled the transition,” Mr Phillips said.

Not ripping up the rulebook, not ripping up everything his parents put in place over previous 70 years, but he has kept the core of what they stood for and has put his own mark on it.

“And I think that’s probably the biggest testament, to both of them (Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip), that he is doing things his way but very much with a nod to how they always did it and the core of what they taught us and what they left us.”

Mr Phillips is currently visiting Australia as patron of charity ISPS Handa, which supports disabled sportsmen and women, and sat down for an exclusive interview with Sky News Australia’s Royal Report host Caroline Di Russo.

Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild said she was remarkable in “so many ways” as she has made an indelible imprint on everyone’s lives in the royal family.

“I was lucky to be in Scotland before she passed and actually having those few days with her in Scotland as a family before she left Balmoral, that was really nice,” he said.

She was a figurehead who had been part of everybody’s lives for as long as people could remember and for us she was, having her as a grandmother and a role model, unique.

Looking back on it it’s still quite emotional, that part, because it was a proper family moment and then obviously once she left Balmoral it became a public grieving, then in many ways we had our quiet moment with her, we said our goodbyes.”

Mr Phillips recounted that while it was not a “particularly easy” time for him and his family, it was made easier by sharing with the public their grief for the late Queen.

She still, both her and the Duke of Edinburgh, have left a huge imprint on all of our lives, and they will do for the rest of our lives because how they lived their lives, how they taught us to grow up and behave… their fingerprints are left in everything that we do,” he said.

In the same interview, Mr Phillips spoke about the King’s cancer diagnosis and revealed his uncle’s recovery is “taking a little longer” but insists he is in good spirits amid his health battle.

Mr Phillips sat down with Sky News Australia prior to Princess Catherine announcing her own cancer battle on Friday.

The Princess of Wales released an emotional video revealing she is undergoing chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with the disease earlier this year.