Queen Elizabeth II of UK announces death of her husband Prince Philip

Friday, April 9, 2021

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh of the United Kingdom died Friday aged 99 in Windsor Castle.

While the cause of his death is yet unrevealed, the initial statement made from Buckingham Palace promised “[f]urther announcements will be made in due course.” The late Prince has been married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years, being royal consort for 69 of them; the statement issued touches on the Queen’s “deep sorrow”.

In his honour, the site of his wife’s coronation and their 1947 wedding venue Westminster Abbey tolled its bell 99 times every sixty seconds: one for every year the Prince had lived. All UK government buildings are to have union and national flags at half-mast until 08:00 on the day of his funeral. The flags on federal buildings in Canada and Australia will likewise be lowered until his funeral. The Royal Family’s website features a black-and-white portrait of the late Prince, while programming on the BBC was interluded with God Save the Queen.

The BBC reported UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking from 10 Downing Street, remembering him for his service in the Second World War, being a “champion of the natural world” and having “shaped and inspired the lives of countless young people” through his namesake award. He gave “thanks, as a nation and a kingdom, for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip”, a man who has “earned the affection of generations”.

Leader of the Opposition and of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer said the nation had “lost an extraordinary public servant”, calling their marriage “a partnership that inspired millions” as one of “strength, stability and hope, even as the world around them changed”. Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey said he was “a much-loved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather”, joined in his condolences by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Irish First Minister and Deputy First Minister Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill, respectively.

Former Prime Ministers May, Cameron, Brown, Blair and Sir Major have likewise shared their thoughts on the Prince and his legacy. While Cameron spoke about the Prince’s devotion to public service, noting “what a powerful advocate the duke was for the causes he believed in”, Blair remembered him as “a man of foresight, determination and courage”. Sir Major said Prince Philip “epitomised the British spirit and remained true to himself right up to the very end”, while Theresa May noted both his “dry sense of humour” and “committed and selfless service of the Queen and her country.”

US Presidents Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton and Carter made their feelings of gratitude and remembrance known. All but Biden had met the Prince before, whether for a 1977 dinner or receiving a lift from the then-94 year old for lunch. BBC News reported Trump, who visited the Royal Family in 2019, described Prince Philip’s death as an “irreplaceable loss for Great Britain, and for all who hold dear our civilisation”. Obama called him “kind and warm, with a sharp wit and unfailing good humour”, while Bush praised how “he devoted himself to worthy causes” through the course of his “his long and remarkable life”.

President Biden, scheduled to meet with the Queen in June, commented “[t]he 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.” – characterising him as “a heck of a guy”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called him a “man of great conviction”, “beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather” and sharing “a special relationship with the Canadian Armed Forces. On behalf of acting Governor-General of Canada Richard Wagner, a statement released by Rideau Hall mentions the Prince’s “commitment to Canada”, “[w]hether speaking with young Canadians about their hopes and dreams, presenting colours and meeting troops at military bases and events, or representing the Crown at state occasions”.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison recognised him as “[embodying] a generation that we will never see again”, while his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern said the Prince will be “fondly remembered for the encouragement he gave to so many young New Zealanders”, again referring to his namesake award. On Twitter, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi touched on his long service in the military, and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin offered “thoughts and prayers” to both “Queen Elizabeth and the people of the United Kingdom”. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called the Prince “imbued with a unique spirit of public service”, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta a “towering symbol of family values and the unity of the British people”.

The main political parties in England, Scotland and Wales will suspend campaigning for the 2021 United Kingdom local elections out of respect, and the UK House of Commons, along with the Scottish Parliament, Senedd and Northern Ireland Assembly will return a day early from recess on Monday to pay tribute. Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the BBC “we must pause to honour him and to offer our sincerest thanks for the prince’s devout faithfulness to our country – and all the nations shall miss him greatly.” Following a virtual meeting, members of Prime Minister Johnson’s cabinet released a statement saying they have “shared recollections of meeting Prince Philip and praised his work”.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the Prince “consistently put the interests of others ahead of his own and, in so doing, provided an outstanding example of Christian service”; a message on the non-profit organisation Archewell started by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex reads in part “you will be greatly missed.”

Born in 1921 of Danish and Russian blood on the Greek island of Corfu as the only son and fifth child of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, Philip (christened Philippos) was swept up in his father’s charges of treason. A year old he was sent to Saint-Cloud, France in an orange box on the orders of George V, living off charity and losing his father to the casinos of Monte Carlo and his mother to an asylum for schizophrenia for much of the young Prince’s childhood. He went to and from boarding schools, becoming fluent in French, German, English and partially Greek between an English preparatory school, a German secondary school and the Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun in 1934.

He enlisted in the Royal Navy age 17, finishing 16th of 34 in exams at Dartmouth College and receiving two awards at best cadet, he was promoted to midshipman immediately before World War II; he met the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth while at Dartmouth. He became one of the Navy’s youngest lieutenants after seeing action off Sicily and Libya, participating as second-in-command of HMS Wallace during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. Though impoverished and described by diplomat Harold Nicolson as “rough, ill-mannered, uneducated”, Philip became engaged in 1946, acquiring British citizenship and adopting the surname ‘Mountbatten’.

Accepting private lives after their 1947 wedding, they had Charles, Prince of Wales and Anne, Princess Royal before moving to Malta. While on an overseas in Kenya, however, the news of George VI’s death reached them and 30-year-old Prince Philip became King consort to Queen Elizabeth. Pledging at her coronation to be a “liege man of life and limb and earthly worship”, he took up other various pursuits as being patron of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, president of the World Wildlife Fund and founding The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, encouraging over four million teenagers in 140 countries to endeavour into community and outdoor activities.

His humour was unabated, with The Guardian describing his public gaffes as “some spoken with naval quarterdeck briskness, some delighting in situational humour, some just – as he himself would have phrased it – ‘bloody rude'”.

Though his health had steadily declined since 2017, the year when he resigned from royal engagements on accounts of his ailing health, he most recently stayed for nearly a month at King Edward VII’s Hospital and the specialist St Bartholomew’s with an infection and heart condition.

The ordinary funeral procession will not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions; instead, members of the public are invited to share condolences and tributes on the Royal Family website, or donating to charity. Honouring the Prince’s wishes of a funeral without fuss, he will lie to rest at Windsor Castle with a service at St. George’s Chapel. Gun salutes will take place 12:00 Saturday, firing 41 rounds at one round per minute from Gibraltar, Belfast, Cardiff, Devonport, Portsmouth, the Tower of London and Woolwich Barracks, both in London, Edinburgh for which his title is named and Royal Navy ships HMS Diamond and HMS Monrose, for which he served as Lord High Admiral.

[edit]