Prince Philip: Cumbria pays tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Cumbrian Rural Enterprise Agency in June 2008

Tributes are being paid to the Duke of Edinburgh, who has died aged 99.

Lord-Lieutenant for Cumbria Claire Hensman said it was a "day of great sadness" and praised his "enduring and positive influence" on national life.

The Bishop of Carlisle used the words "loyalty, fortitude and humour" to recall Prince Philip and his long years of public service.

The duke made his last official visit to Cumbria in October 2016, when he toured the Sellafield nuclear plant.

In June 2008 he travelled with the Queen to Whitehaven to celebrate the town's 300th anniversary, and they opened the refurbished Beacon Museum.

They also visited the Cumberland Pencil Factory in Workington, Underscar Manor Hotel in Keswick and the Food Technology Centre in Penrith.

The duke has also made several visits to the Lake District, Barrow-in-Furness and Carlisle, and attended the Holker and Lowther horse trials.

Prince Philip competed in the Holker Hall Carriage Driving Trials across Morecombe Bay on 30 May 1985

Mrs Hensman, who is the the Queen's representative in Cumbria, paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, which started in 1956, saying it had "enriched young people's lives" worldwide.

"The duke was well known to us locally here in Cumbria: a keen carriage driver, he was a regular competitor in our county," she said.

"His list of patronages also extends to a number of Cumbrian organisations, particularly the two Outward Bound Trust centres, which he visited regularly."

'Unswerving commitment'

The Right Reverend James Newcome added: "His loyalty is well known to all of us. He has been an extraordinary companion to Her Majesty The Queen throughout her long reign and has been a constant source of encouragement and support to her. We are hugely grateful for that.

"His fortitude is obvious. He has persevered through all sorts of difficult circumstances and has been an encouragement and source of strength to the whole of the nation.

"And his humour is well known to everyone and, I think, has been a source of amusement and joy to all of us."

Prince Philip in 1959 at the Vickers-Armstrongs yard at Barrow-in-Furness where he presided over a ceremony to lay the keel of Britain's first nuclear-powered submarine

Hilary Harrington, the mayor of Allerdale Borough Council, recalled meeting the duke when he visited her workplace about 60 years ago, and described him as a "truly charming gentleman", while council leader Mike Johnson said the duke was "very supportive of Cumbria".

"He was a regular visitor, and I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Lowther Show almost 20 years ago now," he said.

Christine Bowditch, chair of Cumbria County Council, said the duke would be "sadly missed".

"Our thoughts are of course with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who has long been supported and cared for by this most loyal and supportive of husbands: a man who showed her, and our country, unswerving commitment.

"She was able to count on his companionship throughout all and it is thanks to this union that we have seen years of steady and dedicated leadership from our monarch."

Stewart Young, leader of Cumbria County Council, said the duke's "dedication and steadfastness" to the country left a legacy that "will not be forgotten".