As it happened: Tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh

Summary

The Prince of Wales says his father was a "very special person" whom he will miss "enormously"
Prince Philip gave "the most remarkable, devoted service", Prince Charles says, and was a "much loved and appreciated figure"
The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral will be held on Saturday 17 April, in Windsor, Buckingham Palace announces
It will be a ceremonial event which "very much reflects the duke's wishes"
Under coronavirus rules, 30 people can attend. Prince Harry will travel from the US
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not attend because of the limited numbers, Downing Street says
Gun salutes are fired across the UK, in Gibraltar and at sea in memory of the duke
People across the world continue to pay tribute after his death at the age of 99 on Friday
The Royal Family opens a book of condolence online

Live Reporting

Edited by George Bowden

In pictures: Gun salutes mark Philip's deathpublished at 12:54 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Here are more images of the 41-gun salute that has taken place across the UK, in Gibraltar and at sea in tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh:
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Members of the public watch the gun salute at The Tower of London from Tower Bridge
Image source, Getty
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Used shells lie on the ground as The Honourable Artillery Company fire a gun salute at the Tower of London
Image source, Getty Images
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The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, prepare shells for firing, at Woolwich Barracks in London
Image source, PA Media
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People hold an impromptu silence on the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace as the gun salutes are fired across the UK
Image source, PA Media
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The scene over Edinburgh during the gun salute from the castle
Gun salutes to pay tribute to Prince Philip endpublished at 12:45 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
The gun salutes to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's death have ended.
The Royal Family has tweeted this tribute to Prince Philip.
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'Wonderful for grandchildren to have this memory'published at 12:41 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Becky Morton
BBC News
Anne Yearsley, 82, from Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire, has brought her grandchildren Cordelia, 10, and Sherlock, six, who are visiting her for Easter, to Windsor Castle.
“We just thought it would be wonderful for them to have this memory,” she says. “He was a great support to the Queen and she obviously adored him.”
Anne has followed the royal couple’s lives since they married in 1947 and remembers their wedding. More recently, she recalls passing the duke riding his carriage in Windsor Great Park a few years ago.
Sherlock is wearing a military uniform for the occasion - passed down from his father who used to wear it as a child watching Trooping the Colour.
The children have been learning about Prince Philip’s achievements from the news coverage of the past couple of days and Cordelia is now excited to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award when she’s older.
“I didn’t really know much about him before, apart from that he was the husband of the Queen,” she says.
“I didn’t know he did all these amazing things.”
Prince Edward leaves castle after visiting Queenpublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Image source, PA Media
The Earl of Wessex has left Windsor Castle, accompanied by his wife. the Countess of Wessex, after visiting his mother, the Queen.
The couple spent approximately an hour at the castle on Saturday morning.
As she left the grounds, in a car driven by Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, said "the Queen has been amazing".
The scene across the nations of the UKpublished at 12:29 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Prince Philip's death is being marked with royal gun salutes across all four nations of the UK.
Image source, Getty Images
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Reservists take part in the gun salute at Cardiff Castle
Image source, PA Media
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Members of the 105th Regiment Royal Artillery fire a 41-round gun salute at Edinburgh Castle
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The gun salute at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland
Image source, PA Media
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Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a 41-round gun salute from the wharf at the Tower of London
Cardiff gun salute marks Prince Philip's deathpublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
The tribute at Cardiff Castle is being carried out by reservists from the 104 Regiment Royal Artillery. First Minister Mark Drakeford is among dignitaries present.
You can see more on the Cardiff gun salute here.
Image caption,
Members of the 104 Regiment Royal Artillery fired the first salute at 12:00 BST
Gun salute fired by The King's Trooppublished at 12:21 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Here is another picture of the gun salute being fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery at the Parade Ground, Woolwich Barracks, in London. Forty-one rounds are being fired at one round every minute for 40 minutes.
We will continue to bring you more images of the gun salutes for Philip across the UK.
Image source, Getty Images
Gun salute at the Tower of Londonpublished at 12:15 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
The Honourable Artillery Company fire a gun salute in tribute of the Duke of Edinburgh at the Tower of London:
Image source, Getty Images
Royal Navy ships fire at seapublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Royal Navy ships at sea have fired the salute in honour of the duke, who served as a naval officer during World War Two and held the office of Lord High Admiral.
HMS Diamond is off the south coast, having left Portsmouth yesterday and HMS Montrose is in the Gulf.
We will be getting pictures back from sea soon but here's the scene at HMNB Portsmouth.
Gun salutes mark the death of Prince Philippublished at 12:01 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Gun salutes in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh have begun across the UK, in Gibraltar and from warships at sea.
Among the places where they are taking place are the barracks in Woolwich, the base of the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.
The British Army is using the World War One-era QF 13-pounder field guns used at the coronation as well as to mark the marriage of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Image source, AFP
Philip has 'left such a big legacy'published at 11:58 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Becky Morton
BBC News
Image caption,
Elaine Ward, with Chi and David Kemp, at Windsor Castle
Elaine Ward, 59, has come to Windsor from Ashford in Surrey with her friends Chi Kemp, 57, and David Kemp, 70.
"Prince Philip has been around all my life so I wanted to pay my respects," says Elaine.
"I feel sorry for the Queen - she's had him by her side for such a long time. I wanted to support her as well."
Elaine was in Windsor three years ago for Harry and Meghan's wedding.
"It was such a happy occasion," she remembers. "Today is much more sombre."
Chi will particularly remember Prince Philip for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which her three children all completed.
"It was a very good way of looking at a person holistically, not just academically - developing communication and leadership skills," she says.
Elaine's 14-year-old twin godchildren also completed the award.
"He's left such a big legacy," Elaine adds.
Gun salutes in tribute to Philip to take place shortlypublished at 11:50 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Gun salutes to mark the death of the Duke of Edinburgh are due to take place in about 10 minutes across the UK and in Gibraltar.
Saluting batteries will fire 41 rounds from 12:00 BST in cities including London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, and at Hillsborough Castle in County Down.
Royal Navy ships at sea, including HMS Diamond and HMS Montrose, will also fire the salute in honour of the duke, who served as a naval officer during World War Two and held the office of Lord High Admiral.
Lieutenant Colonel Erica Bridge, who serves with the Royal Artillery, told the BBC the salutes for the duke would take 40 minutes, with one round fired every minute.
"All of the military will feel great sadness at his passing and I think our ability to demonstrate our respects by firing these salutes will very much be felt by those soldiers and sailors who are taking part today," she said.
'It's my duty': Public lay flowers outside Windsor Castlepublished at 11:37 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Becky Morton
BBC News
Windsor evokes memories of royal weddings, with crowds lining the streets waving the union jack. Today the mood is sombre.
People are being asked not to gather or leave flowers because of the pandemic.
But some locals - and others from further afield - still came to pay their respects.
The hundreds of bouquets that were left on Friday were taken inside the grounds of the castle overnight. But more bunches of flowers have already been left this morning.
Paul Taylor, 62, has come from Richmond, in south-west London, to leave flowers on behalf of his parents, who both met Prince Philip as part of his dad’s role as a lieutenant colonel.
"I think it’s my duty really," he says. "My parents would be proud of me doing this."
Paul’s father received an MBE at Buckingham Palace in the 1970s for his service and both his parents laid flowers for the Queen Mother after her death.
"My dad served his country," he says. "And Prince Philip represents duty to service, the Queen and the country."
Prince Philip's Mumbai connectionpublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Yogita Limaye
Mumbai correspondent, BBC News
Image source, AFP
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"It’s because of him and his family that we are known around the world," one tiffin carrier said
Mumbai has a special connection with the Royal Family. A network of people who deliver lunchboxes across this city, called "dabbawalas" or tiffin carriers, have had a relationship with Prince Charles since he visited them during a trip to India in 2003 and admired their work.
Some tiffin carriers were invited to his wedding in 2005, and during that time they dined with the whole family, including Prince Philip.
"We are saddened by the news of the death of Prince Charles’ father and offer our condolences. It’s because of him and his family that we are known around the world," one tiffin carrier said.
Newspapers in India have covered the news of Prince Philip’s death on their front pages, some of them recounting the highlights of his four visits to the country.
On his trip in 1959, the duke came alone and was welcomed at the airport by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Video footage from the visit shows people cheering for Prince Philip, and putting flower garlands around his neck.
Other moments that have been recalled are his visit with the Queen to the iconic Taj Mahal monument in 1961.
Image source, Getty Images
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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Taj Mahal during their six-week visit to India
Flowers laid at Prince Philip's birthplace in Greecepublished at 11:04 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Image source, EPA
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Mon Repos estate, Prince Philip's birthplace
Flowers have been laid on the front gate of the Mon Repos estate in Corfu where the Duke of Edinburgh was born.
Prince Philip of Greece was born on 10 June 1921 on the Greek island. His birth certificate shows the date as 28 May 1921, as Greece had not then adopted the Gregorian calendar.
His father was Prince Andrew of Greece, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes. His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
After a coup d'etat in 1922, the duke's father was banished from Greece by a revolutionary court.
Greece President Katerina Sakellaropoulou tweeted that the duke "served his country with devotion".
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The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, said the duke's life "serves as an example of tenacity and adaptability in the face of adversity".
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award 'saved me from jail'published at 10:54 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Alice Evans
BBC News
Image source, Dave Kirton
Image caption,
Friends Nathan (left) and James were often in trouble with police before they signed up to do their bronze award
For some of the millions of young people who have taken on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, it has brought truly life-changing opportunities.
Without the award, James says he'd "probably be in jail". At the age of 15, James and his friend Nathan, then 16, had had more run-ins with the police than they care to remember. As bored mates growing up in Darlington, north-east England, they felt they had "nothing else to do" but to cause mischief.
After being caught for separate offences, in 2018 the friends were both ordered to do hours of community service, or "reparations". The stint the pair enjoyed the most was being taught how to fix bikes by youth offending officer Dave Kirton, for a community project.
Dave, who is also a Duke of Edinburgh leader, arranged with those on the reparations panel to strike a deal with the boys: if they did their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, external, they'd get five hours taken off their community service orders.
James says the commitment needed for his bronze award - the first of three achievement levels - forced a change in his behaviour: "It just stopped me being naughty."
Prince Philip 'absolutely central to Queen's reign'published at 10:38 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
BBC Radio 5 Live
Image caption,
Prince Philip was 'instrumental' in the decision to televise the Queen's Coronation in 1953
Anna Whitelock, history of the monarchy professor at the University of London, said the early days of the Queen's ascension to the throne was clearly a difficult time for the duke.
"Here he was a man, having to give up his career - a very masculine career at that time - to effectively walk two steps behind his wife, who was 'the boss'. I think that was difficult for him," she told Saturday Breakfast on Radio 5 Live.
Prof Whitelock said the duke tried to find an outlet for his energies in those early years, turning his attention to modernising Buckingham Palace and the monarchy in general.
She cited his "instrumental" role in the televising of the Queen's coronation which "marked the beginning of a whole new relationship between the monarchy and the media".
Prof Whitelock also stressed the duke's role as a "hands-on father" when his children were young, and his standing as the family patriarch.
"He was the original house husband - looking after the children when the Queen was being Queen," she said, but she insisted Prince Philip "was very much the boss at home".
Following the death of the duke, the Queen was facing a new era, according to Prof Whitelock.
"There's no doubt this is going to be the second part of the Elizabethan age. Prince Philip has been absolutely central to the reign up until now," she said.
"I think we are going to see Prince Charles be alongside his mother more and more, as well as acting on her behalf.
"The Queen has been acting on her own since Philip's retirement, but this is now very different. The Queen is now a widow and I think that's going to be very hard for her to come to terms with."
How can the public pay their respects?published at 10:22 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Image source, Reuters
Throughout yesterday, people visited Buckingham Palace to lay flowers at the gates.
But because of the current coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings, the Royal Family has asked people not to leave flowers and tributes at royal residences.
Instead, people are asked to consider making a donation to a charity in memory of the duke.
An online book of condolence, external is also available for the public to post their personal tributes.
According to the Royal Family's website, a selection of the messages will be passed onto royals and may be held in the Royal Archives for posterity.
In pictures: Australia fires gun salute in Philip's memorypublished at 10:04 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
A 41-gun salute has been fired outside Parliament House in Canberra, the capital of Australia, to mark the death of Prince Philip.
Image source, EPA
People gathered to watch the guns' firing outside Parliament House.
Image source, EPA
The Australian flag is flying at half-mast at Parliament House to mark the duke's passing.
Image source, EPA
Duke had 'unflinching' commitment to conservation - WWF bosspublished at 09:47 British Summer Time 10 April 2021
Image source, PA Media
Image caption,
The duke, with former WWF-UK chairman Tim Walker (left), ahead of the sixth annual World Conservation Lecture in 1986
Tanya Steele, chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund UK, has described the Duke of Edinburgh as "a visionary conservationist".
"He was ahead of his time," she told BBC Breakfast, adding that he "followed the science very closely".
"He certainly used his position both to raise the issues - to speak powerfully - but he was a man of action, and he was really determined to ensure there was action, both to conserve species but actually to conserve our whole natural world - on which we rely for so very much."
Asked about how Prince Philip's love of game-hunting chimed with his role as a conservationist, Ms Steele conceded that, in 2021, photographs of the duke shooting a tiger in India did "feel very out of place to us".
"But what we do know is that the duke did focus his efforts very resolutely, from the end of 1961, both on conserving species and ensuring that we tightened environmental laws and created natural reserves so it could be protected for future generations.
"His commitment was unflinching throughout."