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Prince Philip – Queen Elizabeth II’s husband and Duke of Edinburgh passed away on Friday (today) at the age of 99.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced 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.” read the statement issued by Buckingham Palace.
It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced 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. pic.twitter.com/XOIDQqlFPn
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 9, 2021
On the death of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/rZlbY1matF
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 9, 2021
Boris Johnson noted that Prince Philip ‘inspired the lives of countless young people’. Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister further said that the Duke of Edinburgh helped to guide the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it stays as an institution undoubtedly important to the balance and contentment of our national life. The premier said he received the news of the duke’s death “with extreme grieve”.
“Prince Philip got the affection of generations living in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world,” he said.
Paying homage to the duke’s role as the longest serving husband of Queen in history, Prince Philip as one of the last surviving people to have fought in the WWII Boris Johnson remarked,
“From that conflict he took an ethic of service that he applied throughout the unparalleled changes of the post-War era,.
“Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he 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.”
It is to be noted that The duke had been admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in London hospital on February 17 after feeling unwell. The palace later confirmed that he was being treated for an infection.
On March 1, he was transferred to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, also in London, where doctors continued to treat the infection as well as undertake testing for a pre-existing heart condition. After heart surgery, the duke was discharged from hospital in mid-March.
Prince Philip was the longest-serving British consort. He married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 after a courtship that charmed a country still reeling from the ravages of World War II.
Philip was patron of some 800 organisations, particularly focused on the environment, industry, sport, and education. His first solo engagement as Duke of Edinburgh was in March 1948, presenting prizes at the boxing finals of the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs at the Royal Albert Hall. He was president of the National Playing Fields Association (now known as Fields in Trust) for 64 years, from 1947 till 2013.
He was president of the International Equestrian Federation from 1964 to 1986, and served as chancellor of the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Salford, and Wales.
