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Flood of tributes as Prince Phillip dies at 99
Our Reporter
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Queen Elizabeth enters eight-day mourning
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How late royal planned own funeral
Britain’s Prince Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than seven decades and the longest-serving consort in British history, died on Friday. He was aged 99.
Buckingham Palace said the prince, who is also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, died in the morning at Windsor Castle.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement said.
“The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”
Phillip recently had a month-long spell in hospital and was recovering at the castle, some 30 kilometres west of London.
He was taken to London’s King Edward VII Hospital on February 16 as “a precautionary measure” for an undisclosed infection and was expected to remain there “for a few days of observation and rest,” the palace said at the time.
His illness was not related to the coronavirus.
He was then moved to a new hospital in London, St Bartholomew’s, where doctors performed testing and performed an operation on him for a pre-existing heart condition.
The prince was discharged on March 16.
Tributes began pouring in for the duke after the news about his death was announced.
Borris Johnson, Biden, Putin, Buhari, others pay tributes
Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, led the tributes yesterday as the country — and the world — reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband at the age of 99.
Speaking outside his home in London’s Downing Street, Johnson said that Philip had “helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”
He said that Philip “was an environmentalist, and a champion of the natural world long before it was fashionable,” adding that he had “inspired the lives of countless young people” with his Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme.
“We remember the duke for all of this and above all for his steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen,” he said. “Not just as her consort by her side every day of her reign, but as her husband, her ‘strength and stay,’ of more than 70 years.”
“And it is to Her Majesty, and her family, that our nation’s thoughts must turn today, because they have lost not just a much-loved and highly respected public figure, but a devoted husband and a proud and loving father, grandfather and, in recent years, great-grandfather.”
Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the U.K.’s opposition Labour Party paid his respects to the royal, saying in a statement that the U.K. had “lost an extraordinary public servant.”
“Prince Philip dedicated his life to our country – from a distinguished career in the Royal Navy during the Second World War to his decades of service as the Duke of Edinburgh,” he said.
“However, he will be remembered most of all for his extraordinary commitment and devotion to the Queen.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that she was “saddened by the news,” while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement that Philip “embodied a generation that we will never see again.”
Philip had visited Australia more than 20 times, Morrison said, adding that his countrymen sent their “love and condolences to her Majesty and all the royal family.”
In the U.S. former President George Bush and his wife, Laura, offered their condolences to the monarch and the entire royal family.
“He represented the United Kingdom with dignity and brought boundless strength and support to the sovereign,” Bush said in a statement.
“Laura and I are fortunate to have enjoyed the charm and wit of his company, and we know how much he will be missed.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said Philip “lived a long life of service to his country,” and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the royal “had a distinguished career in the military and was at the forefront of many community service initiatives.”
Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney also tweeted that it was “a very sad day for the United Kingdom.”
Nicholas Soames, the grandson of wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, tweeted: “The death of Prince Philip marks the passing of a truly remarkable man who lived a life of impeccable and dedicated service to his Queen and Country.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden led US tributes to Prince Philip following his death at the age of 99.
A statement released by the White House yesterday morning describs the Duke of Edinburgh as having “dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family”.
“On behalf of all the people of the United States, we send our deepest condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the entire Royal Family, and all the people of the United Kingdom on the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,” the statement reads.
“Over the course of his 99-year life, he saw our world change dramatically and repeatedly. From his service during World War II, to his 73 years alongside the Queen, and his entire life in the public eye — Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family.”
It continues: “The impact of his decades of devoted public service is evident in the worthy causes he lifted up as patron, in the environmental efforts he championed, in the members of the Armed Forces that he supported, in the young people he inspired, and so much more.”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin conveyed his condolences to the Queen after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
“Many important events in the contemporary history of your country are connected with the name of His Royal Highness,” Mr Putin said in a statement.
“He has rightfully enjoyed the respect of the British nation as well as international recognition.”
A Kremlin statement said Mr Putin “wished Queen Elizabeth II fortitude and resilience in the face of this severe and irreparable loss and requested that his sincere condolences be passed to all the members of the royal family”.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday extended his condolences to Her Majesty the Queen over the death of her husband who passed on peacefully at the age of 99.
The President’s condolences were contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, yesterday.
Reacting to the death of the longest serving Queen’s consort, President Buhari said: “The death of the Duke of Edinburgh is the end of an era.
“Prince Philip was one of the greatest and publicly recognisable international figures whose contributions to the Commonwealth will be remembered for generations to come.”
According to the President, “Prince Philip was a great man in his own right who made enormous contributions to philanthropic activities and charities especially for wildlife conservation and youth development programmes in more than 130 countries.”
President Buhari paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh as “a remarkable husband who had been happily married to the Queen since 1947,” saying “this is an impressive record for any marriage at any level.”
The President also commiserated with the government of the United Kingdom, the members of the Commonwealth “for the sad loss of this royal and indeed global icon.”
Philip was born into Greek and Danish royal families in 1921 on the Greek island of Corfu.
His family left Greece when Phillip was one-year-old after the end of the Greco-Turkish War.
He spent his childhood in France and Germany, and then later moved to Britain.
Philip joined the Navy in 1939, during which time he met the-then Princess Elizabeth.
The pair began writing to each other and then married in 1947, prior to her ascension to the throne in 1952.
He renounced his Greek royal title, allowing him to become a British citizen.
Philip was also given the title His Royal Highness and named as the Duke of Edinburgh by the Queen’s father, King George VI, in respect of their marriage.
Philip retired from active naval service in 1951 and was made a British prince in 1957. Since then, he had been the queen’s consort, where he supported the Queen in her role as the reigning monarch and also invested his time in supporting conservation and engineering organisations.
He was a patron, president, or member of more than 750 organisations.
He retired from public duties in 2017, meaning while he is still a member of the organisations, he no longer attended public engagements.
The couple had four children together – Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex – eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
How late royal planned own funeral
Before his death yesterday, Prince Philip was said to have been involved in planning his own funeral code named Operation Forth Bridge in reference to the bridge between Edinburgh and Fife, reportedly saying he “didn’t want the fuss” of lying in state.
As the Queen’s husband and someone who has dedicated their life to the Crown and the Country, Prince Philip is entitled to a huge state funeral.
But the Duke of Edinburgh was clear before his death that he wasn’t interested in a big occasion, reportedly saying he “didn’t want the fuss of lying in state”.
It is believed that he will have a military funeral rather than a state one, with a private service at St George’s Chapel.
However the plans may have to be changed due to the COVID restrictions, which currently mean only 30 people are allowed to attend.
It’s believed that organisers will keep the procession to a minimum to avoid crowds gathering.
Queen Elizabeth enters eight-day mourning
The Queen on Friday announced with ‘deep sorrow’ the death of her husband Prince Philip at the age of 99, her ‘strength and guide’ throughout their 73-year marriage and her 69-year reign.
Her Majesty announced her husband’s death at midday as the Union Flag was lowered to half-mast outside Buckingham Palace and on public buildings across the UK and Commonwealth. Westminster Abbey rang its bells 99 times in his memory from 6pm.
The Royal Family said in a statement: ‘It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss’.
Her Majesty, who remains at Windsor Castle with her husband, will enter an eight-day period of mourning. She will not carry out any duties, even in private, while laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused.
His funeral will be a small family service at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle before the duke is buried in Frogmore Gardens, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were laid to rest.
Officials at Buckingham Palace are now preparing for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in keeping with Philip’s wishes, with a military procession also expected in London – Covid laws permitting.
Until his death, Philip was the longest-serving consort in British history and the oldest partner of a reigning monarch. Despite his ill health, the Queen remained resolutely stoic in Prince Philip’s final days and took part in her first royal engagement of 2021 last week.
As the Queen lost her husband, and the country mourns one of its greatest servants, it also emerged:
Her Majesty will enter a period of mourning with officials planning a royal ceremonial funeral in Windsor with a military procession after insisting he didn’t want the ‘fuss’ of lying in state. But plans will be hit by Covid restrictions and public already urged not to consider gathering in the streets for the event;
Large crowds gathered at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor Castle to lay flowers – before Government asked them to disperse;
Flags around the UK are at half-mast – and will remain so for some time – as Boris Johnson leads tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh, who the PM said has ‘helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life’;
Commonwealth leaders including prime ministers of Australia, Canada and India thank Prince Philip for his decades of public service and send ‘love and deepest condolences’ to Her Majesty and all the Royal family;
Philip’s death came at a time of great turmoil for the Royal Family after Harry and Meghan’s emigration to the US and bombshell Oprah interview. The Sussexes have not said if they will be returning to the UK.
