Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh is dead. He died at 99. The Queen announced with ‘deep sorrow’ that husband the Duke of Edinburgh ‘passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle’ on Friday morning – three weeks after he finished 28-night hospital stay for infection and heart surgery
The Queen described him as her ‘strength and guide’ throughout their 73-year marriage and her 69-year reign.
The Duke of Edinburgh spent his final days at Windsor Castle with his wife after a 28-night stay in hospital having been admitted in mid-February for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition.
Her Majesty announced her husband’s death at midday. Buckingham Palace 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’.
His death plunges the nation and the Royal Family into mourning, and brings to an end Philip’s lifetime of service to Britain and to Elizabeth, the Queen who adored him since her teens.
Boris Johnson addressed the nation outside No 10 Downing Street and said: ‘We give thanks, as a nation and a kingdom, for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’.
He added: ‘Speaking on their golden wedding anniversary, Her Majesty said that our country owed her husband ‘a greater debt than he would ever claim or we shall ever know’ and I am sure that estimate is correct So we mourn today with Her Majesty The Queen.’
‘We remember the duke for all of this and above all for his steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen. 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.’ Mr Johnson also praised his Duke of Edinburgh scheme, which has ‘shaped and inspired the lives of countless young people’.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: ‘As we recover and rebuild after the terrible trial of the coronavirus pandemic, we will need fortitude and a deep sense of commitment to serving others. Throughout his life Prince Philip displayed those qualities in abundance, and I pray that we can take inspiration from his example’.
Her Majesty is now expected to 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. A further period of official Royal Mourning is expected to continue for 30 days.
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.
As the Queen lost her husband, and the country mourns one of its greatest servants, it also emerged:
Flags around the UK and Commonwealth are at half-mast 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’;
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;
Philip was well known for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which he launched in 1956, inspired by his time at Gordonstoun school in Scotland
The Duke globe trotted and fulfilled countless engagements well into his eighties and nineties.
A busy and demanding schedule did take its toll sometimes. While accompanying the Queen on a state visit to South Korea in April 1999, he fell asleep at a banquet.
In 2007, the year he turned 86, he undertook more than 354 engagements with the Queen and on his own at home and abroad, while in 2013 when he turned 92 and took time off after an operation, he still carried out 184 engagements in the UK and overseas.
The Duke enjoyed good health throughout much of his life but in April 2008 he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection that forced him to cancel a number of engagements.
He spent three nights in the private King Edward VII Hospital in central London but went on to make a full recovery.
In his later years Philip’s energy appeared undimmed, although his brusqueness was said to have mellowed with age.
He was fit and active and continued to take part in fast-paced, dangerous carriage driving events competing at international level until the age of 85, but still took part non-competitively in his late eighties.
He would hare round the courses at high speed, determination etched on his face.
His wife would watch from the sidelines, her camera at the ready, proud, excited and sometimes concerned for his safety.
Philip was always happy to joke about his mortality and could occasionally be heard when reference was made to a future project at official engagements to snort with laughter and make a quip about his limited lifespan.
When he turned 80 in 2001, he was applauded for his devoted service to the nation and the Commonwealth.
He reflected at the time: ‘I imagine there are a few fortunate souls who have managed to get through life without any anxieties, but my experience is that life has its ups and downs.’ From Daily Mail.