Queen marks what would have been Philip's 100th birthday with new rose

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Queen Elizabeth II receives a Duke of Edinburgh rose, given to her by Keith Weed, President of the Royal Horticultural Society,, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire.Image source, PA Media
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Keith Weed presented the Queen with the shrub rose, which should grow to around 70cm tall

The Queen has been gifted a new rose named after the Duke of Edinburgh, to mark the day that would have been his 100th birthday.

She said the flower "looks lovely" and that it was a "very kind" tribute.

The rose was bred by the Royal Horticultural Society and planted in the gardens at Windsor Castle last week.

Royal Family members have paid tribute to the duke, who died in April aged 99 - nine weeks before his 100th birthday.

The Duke of Edinburgh Rose is deep pink, dappled with white lines and double-flowered.

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For every rose sold, £2.50 will be donated to a charity fund set up in memory of the duke

One was presented to the Queen wrapped in brown paper by Keith Weed, the president of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Mr Weed said: "It's a commemorative rose for all the marvellous things that he did over his lifetime and for everyone to remember so much that he did."

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Told there are now 30 million gardeners in the UK - a rise of 10% - the Queen said: "That's very good."

The Prince of Wales - the eldest son of the Queen and Prince Philip - and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, have paid tribute to the duke.

The couple's official Clarence House Instagram account shared a photograph of a two-year-old Prince Charles holding his father's hand at London airport after the duke returned from a trip to Malta in 1951.

The post included a second photograph of Prince Philip at Windsor in July last year after handing over his role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles to the duchess.

The photographs were accompanied with the caption: "Remembering The Duke of Edinburgh, on what would have been his 100th birthday".

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The official Clarence House Instagram account shared this photograph of a young Prince Charles welcoming his father, Philip, home after his trip to Malta in 1951.

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Meanwhile, the Earl of Wessex, the duke's youngest son, said although the Royal Family "would have loved it if he had been here" to celebrate his 100th birthday, his father "did not want all the fuss and bother".

"I think he wasn't really looking forward to the centenary, even if we were," he told BBC royal correspondent Daniela Relph in his first broadcast interview since Philip's funeral.

Prince Edward said the Royal Family would "celebrate what might have been and his life" and paid tribute to his father as a "larger than life person" who "once met, [was] never forgotten".

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Prince Edward said he felt s first broadcast interview since the Duke’s funeral

Princess Eugenie also acknowledged the milestone, sharing a photograph on her official Instagram account of the duke and the Queen together at her wedding in 2018, with the caption: "Thinking of Grandpa on what would have been his 100th birthday."

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leaving Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel in 2018.