Sadly, on Friday, the 9th April it was announced by Buckingham Palace, that the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip had died age 99. The Duke of Edinburgh died just 2 months before his 100th birthday, peacefully at Windsor Castle.
Prince Philip was the longest serving royal consort in British history, and beloved husband of our Queen Elizabeth ll. The palace announced the news just after midday on Friday, ‘’it is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty, The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband’’.
As expected, many people have shown their love and support across the country, and on 10th April, there was a 42-gun salute in tribute of the Prince, which happened in London, Edinburgh, Wales and Belfast.
Our Prime Minister has commented on the death of the Prince too, expressing how he ‘’inspired the lives of countless young people’’. Members of the Royal Family of course have also released statements and shared their sadness, Prince Edward told ITV news how much of a fantastic support Philip and The Queen were to each other, talking about the life that his parents shared, and he continued to express his admiration to ITV, about their love, saying
‘’to have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public. To be able to share that is immensely important’’
By the way that not just Prince Edward, but many people who have been in both of their company talks about their love to each other, it teaches us all a little bit about what it means to be human, and the power of human connection and love, no matter who you are.
Edward, like many others, will remember his father for all the great work he contributed to, for example the Duke of Edinburgh awards, that helps young people be empowered, and gives them confidence and skills to achieve and make the most out of life. As well as all of his public work, he was a loving husband to The Queen and a father to 4, may we remember all of his work both personal and public, as we continue to pay tribute to the great man he was.
On the day it was sadly announced of his death, people from everywhere placed flowers outside the palace, and hundreds of others visited the Windsor Castle. Moving forward, the Royal Family have suggested that people leave donations to a charity, or leave a message on their online ‘Book of Condolence’ which is on the official Royal Family website. www.royal.uk
The flag at Buckingham Palace was also lowered to half mast and a notice was posted on the gates to mark the Prince’s death. At Westminster Abbey, they ran their tenor bell once every 60 seconds from 6pm, it rang 99 times to honour each year that he lived.
Prince Philip’s funeral will take place on Saturday, 17th April at St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, it will take place at 3pm and will be televised. The Prince is said to have requested a ‘minimal fuss’ for the event, and will lie at rest in the private chapel at Windsor Castle until the day of the funeral. The coffin will be draped with his personal flag, representing both his Greek heritage and his British titles, as well as a wreath of flowers.
Coronavirus has put restrictions on crowds of people, and who attends the funeral, so that now means that the funeral will be much lower key in comparison to other funerals held in the past. The palace has said, however, that this does ‘’reflect the duke’s wishes’’ and it will still ‘’celebrate and reflect’’ a life of service, of course.
The country is now in national mourning, which will end of the day of the funeral. From this day onwards, sadness has spread across the UK, and it will continue to do so for a very long time, as people far and wide continue to pay tribute, and honour the Prince’s memory.
