9th April 2021

Our sincere condolences to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Further condolences to the Royal family and Royal Household.
No more parades Sir.
May you rest easy your Royal Highness Prince Philip. 

HRH Prince Philip, Prince of Greece and Prince of Denmark, Duke of Edinburgh. Consort to Queen Elizabeth ll.

Sadly on the 9th of April 2021, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke Of Edinburgh died aged 99 years.

Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in Corfu, he later came to England, he met our Sovereign the then Princess Elizabeth, married her and became known as the Duke of Edinburgh, he was the Queens Husband and her consort.

During the early marriage, the then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived in Malta whilst His Royal Highnesses were stationed there, due to Prince Philips’ service with the Navy.

He was commanding, the Vessel HMS Magpie.

Reaching the rank of Naval Commander he left the Navy to be by his Wife’s side on the death of King George V, the then Princess Elizabeths’ Father.

On becoming her Consort and after 70 years he still had a strong connection with the Military through his Official titles and connections.

Having completed 22,000 engagements he stepped down from Official Military duties at the age of 96 years.

So to the Prince;
Prince Philip was born on the 10th June 1921 in Corfu, Mon repos, Corfu.

His Mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, his Father was Prince Andrea (Andrew) of Greece and Denmark, from the house of Glucksburg the ruling house of Denmark.

This meant that Prince Philip was Prince of both Greece and Denmark due to his Paternal lineage.

From descent of George I of Greece and Christian IX of Denmark.

Prince Philip was in line of succession to both Thrones.

Prince Philip was the only Son and the fifth and final Child of the Union between his Parents.

Prince Philip had elder Sisters,
Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie.

He was baptised Greek Orthodox in Corfu at the Church of the old Fortress St George’s.

Shortly after Prince Philip’s birth his Mother’s father his maternal Grandfather Prince Louis of Battenberg had died in London.

His Grandfather had been in service in the Royal Navy and was known as Louis Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven.

His Grandfather has been naturalised British having renounced his German titles and had adopted the name Mountbatten, there was a lot of German anti sentiment due to the War so at this time it was better to modify the name from Battenberg to Mountbatten.

Prince Philip came to England for the Memorial service of his Grandfather, his Mother had accompanied him, his Father had remained in Greece to serve in the Army for the Greco Turkish war, this ended badly.

The Turks over run the Greeks and Philips Uncle the then high Commander, King Constantine I, was blamed for the defeat so forced to abdicate.

The new Military Government arrested Prince Philip’s father and others, the others were executed Prince Andrea (Andrew) was spared.

It was soon realised that the Prince and his Wife Princess Alice were in danger, the family were banished from Greece, Prince Andrew (the Princes father) was not allowed back.

The British Naval Vessel HMS Calypso, evacuated the family safely, Prince Philips’ cot for the journey was a fruit box.

Prince Philip’s family went to live in France in a home lent to them by Princess George of Greece and Denmark.

The house was in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud.

Prince Philip left Greece when he was a baby, he did not speak Greek, his family spoke English, French and German.

Prince Philip thought of himself as Danish he understood a little Greek.

Prince Philip was educated at Gordonstoun in Scotland his earlier education was at a school in Paris, the school was an American school called the Elms.

The young pupil was known to be very quiet and polite. He was very smart and in 1928 he was sent to England to a school named Cheam School.

He lived with his Maternal Grandmother at Kensington Palace. His Grandmother was Victoria Mountbatten, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven and his Uncle George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.

So Prince Philip would live with his Grandmother in Kensington Palace and then with his Uncle in Lynden Manor in Bray Berkshire.

In 1933 Prince Philip returned to Germany and went to Germany to be schooled at Schule Schloss Salem this had the advantage of saving school fees.

There was a lot of Natzism (Naziisam), and this meant the founder of the School who was Jewish left Germany and set up Gordonstoun in Scotland, hence Philip went to that School.

Prince Philip had spent two terms at School in Germany before attending the school in Scotland.

Education was always very important to Prince Philip and he sent his Sons to the same School some years later.

His Mother, Princess Alice was placed in an Asylum following her diagnosis of Schizophrenia and his four elder Sisters went onto marry German Princes.

His Father became a playboy Prince and lived in Monte Carlo.

Prince Philip did not see a lot of his Mother during his Childhood.

Later he rekindled a relationship with her and Princess Alice his Mother lived out her days in Buckingham Palace she had been a Nun previously.

She died in 1969 at the Palace.

The Princes life had not been easy always in the spotlight in 1937, his Sister Cecilie with her husband the Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, her two young sons a recent infant who was born on the flight and her Mother in Law were all killed in an air crash in Ostend.

A year after the death of his Sister his guardian his Uncle Lord Milford Haven died of bone marrow Cancer.

Prince Philip left education at Gordonstoun in 1939, and attended Navy college in Dartmouth as a cadet, he did go back to Greece lived with his Mother for a month in Athens.

Then at the behest of Greek King George II, his first cousin he came back to England and served in the British Navy following further training at the Naval college he left as one of the best trained .

He continued to be educated at Dartmouth as the best Cadet and later going on to serve during the Second World War, he served in opposition to his two brothers in laws, Prince Christopher of Hesse and Berthold, and Margrave of Baden.

Philip was appointed as a midshipman in January 1940. He spent four months on the battleship HMS Ramillies, protecting convoys of the Australian Expeditionary Force in the Indian Ocean, followed by shorter postings on HMS Kent, on HMS Shropshire, and in Ceylon.

After the invasion of Greece by Italy in October 1940, he was transferred from the Indian Ocean to the battleship HMS Valiant in the Mediterranean Fleet.

On 1 February 1941, Philip was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant after a series of courses at Portsmouth, in which he gained the top grade in four out of five sections of the qualifying examination.

Among other engagements, he was involved in the battle of Crete, and was mentioned in dispatches for his service during the battle of Cape Matapan, in which he controlled the battleship’s searchlights.

He was also awarded the Greek War Cross.In June 1942, he was appointed to the V and W-class destroyer and flotilla leader HMS Wallace, which was involved in convoy escort tasks on the east coast of Britain, as well as the Allied invasion of Sicily.

Promotion to Lieutenant followed on 16 July 1942.

In October of the same year, he became first Lieutenant of HMS Wallace, at 21 years old one of the youngest first Lieutenants in the Royal Navy.

During the invasion of Sicily, in July 1943, as second in command of Wallace, he saved his ship from a night bombing attack.

He devised a plan to launch a raft with smoke floats that successfully distracted the bombers, allowing the ship to slip away unnoticed.

In 1944, he moved on to the new destroyer, HMS Whelp, where he saw service with the British Pacific Fleet in the 27th Destroyer Flotilla.

He was present in Tokyo Bay when the instrument of Japanese surrender was signed.

Philip returned to the United Kingdom on the Whelpin January 1946, and was posted as an instructor at HMS Royal Arthur, the Petty Officers’ School in Corsham, Wiltshire.

The Navy was in Prince Philips’ life line and you could say had saved him, when he was evacuated, he had strong Military connections, even after leaving service to be with his Wife when she became Queen and fittingly his last engagement before retiring was with the, Royal Marines.

Prince Philip had sailed on the Royal Yacht Britannia and felt at home at Sea, whilst touring with the Queen he had sailed the Yacht sometimes.

He was a keen Sailor too and loved to Sail, he has strong connections with the Royal Yacht clubs on the Isle of Wight and was often present during the Regatta at Cowes week.

The ranks that Prince Philip had held were:
Admiral of the Fleet
Field Marshall
Marshall of the Royal Air Force
Captain General Royal Marines
Commander during active service.

As earlier mentioned he had held command at HMS Magpie whilst in Malta.
He was mentioned in dispatches and awarded Croix de Guerre with Palm and the Greek War Cross.

Prince Philip saw active service in theatre:
Second World War,
in the Battle of Crete,
Battle of Cape Matapan, the allied invasion of Sicily,
operation Dragoon, operation Robson,
operation Lentil,
Battle of Okinawa.

From July 1939, he began corresponding with the then thirteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret,whom he had first met in 1934, when Princess Elizabeth was a teenager.

This came about due to a visit by the then King George and Queen Elizabeth and the young Princess Elizabeth and Margaret to the naval college.

During the visit, the Queen and Louis Mountbatten asked his nephew Philip to escort the King’s two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, who were Philip’s third cousins-through Queen Victoria, and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark.

Elizabeth fell in love with Philip, and they began to exchange letters when she was 13.

During the Second World War he served with distinction in the Mediterranean and Pacific Fleets.

Eventually, in the summer of 1946, Philip asked the King for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

The King granted his request, provided that any formal engagement be delayed until Elizabeth’s 21st birthday the following April.

By March 1947, Philip had abandoned his Greek and Danish Royal titles, had adopted the surname Mountbatten from his Mother’s family, and had become a naturalised British subject.

The engagement was announced to the public on 10 July 1947.

He married Elizabeth on 20 November 1947.

Philip and Elizabeth were married in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, recorded and broadcast by BBC-radio to 200 million people around the world.

In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for any of the Duke of Edinburgh’s German relations to be invited to the wedding, including Philip’s three surviving sisters, all of whom had married German princes.

After their marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh took up residence at Clarence House.

Prince Philip’s marriage to his Queen lasted 73 years only ceasing on his death, as per his marriage vows.

Just before the wedding, he was granted the title, His Royal Highness and created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich by King George VI.

The day before the wedding, King George VI bestowed the title of Royal Highness on Philip and, on the morning of the wedding, 20 November 1947, he was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich of Greenwich in the County of London.

After his honeymoon at the Mountbatten family home, Broadland’s in Romsey Hampshire, Philip returned to the navy at first in a desk job at the Admiralty, and later on a staff course at the Naval Staff College, Greenwich.

From 1949, he was stationed in Malta (residing at Villa Guardamangia) after being posted as the first Lieutenant of the destroyer HMS Chequers, the lead ship of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean Fleet.

With the King in ill health, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were both appointed to the Privy Council on 4 November 1951, after a coast-to-coast tour of Canada.

On 16 July 1950, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and given command of the frigate HMS Magpie. Though his active naval career had ended in July 1951.

On 30 June 1952, Philip was promoted to Commander.

Consequently, being already a Knight of the Garter, between 19 and 20 November 1947 he bore the unusual style His Royal Highness, Sir Philip Mountbatten, and is so described in the Letters Patent on the 20 November 1947.

Their first two children were born before Elizabeth succeeded her father as monarch in 1952: Prince Charles in 1948 and Princess Anne in 1950.

Philip was introduced to the House of Lords on 21 July 1948, immediately before his uncle Louis Mountbatten, who had been made Earl Mountbatten of Burma Philip, like his sons Charles and Andrew and other Royals (with the exception of the 1st Earl of Snowdon), ceased to be members of the House of Lords following the House of Lords Act 1999.

He never spoke in the House.

At the end of January 1952, Philip and his wife set out on a tour of the Commonwealth.

On 6 February 1952, they were in Kenya when Elizabeth’s Father died and she became Queen.

It was Philip who broke the news to Elizabeth at Sagana Lodge, and the Royal party immediately returned to the United Kingdom.

In 1952 Princess Elizabeth, became Queen on the death of her Father.

Philip was made a British Prince in 1957.

Due to the Commonwealth he was regarded as other Commonwealth Countries Prince too, such as Canada as the Queen is head of the Commonwealth.

He regarded himself as an Anglican”, and he had attended Anglican services with his classmates and relations in England and throughout his Royal Navy days, he had been baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, wanted to “regularise” Philip’s position by officially receiving him into the Church of England which he did in October 1947.

The accession of Elizabeth to the throne brought up the question of the name of the Royal house, as Elizabeth would typically have taken Philip’s last name upon marriage.

The Duke’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, advocated the name House of Mountbatten.

Philip suggested House of Edinburgh, after his ducal title.

When Queen Mary, Elizabeth’s Grandmother, heard of this, she informed the British Prime minister, Winston Churchill, who himself later advised the Queen to issue a Royal proclamation declaring that the Royal house was to remain known as the House of Windsor.

Prince Philip privately complained, “I am nothing but a bloody amoeba. I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.”

On 8 February 1960, several years after the death of Queen Mary and the resignation of Churchill as prime minister, the Queen issued an Order in Councildeclaring that Mountbatten-Windsor would be the surname of her and her husband’s male-line descendants who are not styled as Royal Highness or titled as Prince or Princess.

While it seems the Queen had “absolutely set her heart” on such a change and had it in mind for some time, it occurred only 11 days before the birth of Prince Andrew (19 February), and only after three months of protracted correspondence between constitutional expert Edward Iwi (who averred that, without such a change, the royal child would be born with “the Badge of Bastardy”) and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who had attempted to rebut Iwi’s arguments.

After her accession to the throne, the Queen also announced that the Duke was to have “place, pre-eminence and precedence” next to her “on all occasions and in all meetings, except where otherwise provided by Act of Parliament”.

This meant the Duke took precedence over his son, the Prince of Wales, except, officially, in the British parliament.

In fact, however, he attended Parliament only when escorting the Queen for the annual State Opening of Parliament, where he walked and sat beside her.

Contrary to rumours over the years, the Queen and Duke were said by insiders to have had a strong relationship throughout their marriage, despite the challenges of Elizabeth’s reign.

The Queen referred to Prince Philip in a speech on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as her “constant strength and guide”.

Prince Philip received a Parliamentary annuity (of £359,000 since 1990) that served to meet official expenses in carrying out public duties.
The annuity was unaffected by the reform of Royal finances under the Sovereign Grant Act 2011.

Any part of the allowance that was not used to meet official expenditure was liable for tax. In practice, the entire allowance was used to fund his official duties.

As Consort to the Queen, Philip supported his wife in her new duties as Sovereign, accompanying her to ceremonies such as the State Opening of Parliament, and in various countries, also state dinners, and tours abroad.

As Chairman of the Coronation Commission, he was the first member of the Royal family to fly in a helicopter, visiting the troops that were to take part in the ceremony.

Philip was not crowned in the service, but knelt before Elizabeth, with her hands enclosing his, and swore to be her “liege man of life and limb”.

In the early 1950s, his sister-in-law, Princess Margaret, considered marrying a divorced older man, Peter Townsend.

The press accused Philip of being hostile to the match, to which he replied “I haven’t done anything.”

Philip had not interfered, preferring to stay out of other people’s love lives.

Eventually, Margaret and Townsend parted.
For six months, over 1953–1954, Philip and Elizabeth toured the Commonwealth; as with previous tours.

In 1956,the Duke, with Kurt Hahn, founded, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in order to give young people “a sense of responsibility to themselves and their communities”.

In the same year, he also established the Commonwealth Study Conferences.

From 1956 to 1957, Philip travelled around the World aboard the newly commissioned HMY Britannia, during which he opened the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and visited the Antarctic.

Becoming the first Royal to cross the Antarctic Circle.

The Queen and the children remained in the UK.

On the return leg of the journey, Philip’s private secretary, Mike Parker, was sued for divorce by his wife.

As with Townsend, the press still portrayed divorce as a scandal, and eventually Parker resigned.

He later said that the Duke was very supportive and “the Queen was wonderful throughout.

She regarded divorce as a sadness, not a hanging offence.”In a public show of support, the Queen created Parker a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

The children were left in Britain.

Further press reports claimed that the Queen and the Duke were drifting apart, which enraged the Duke and dismayed the Queen, who issued a strongly worded denial.

On 22 February 1957, she granted her husband the style and title of a Prince of the United Kingdom by Letters Patent, and it was gazetted that he was to be known as “His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh”.

Philip was appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada on 14 October 1957, taking his Oath of Allegiance before the Queen in person at her Canadian residence, Rideau Hall.

Remarks he made two years later to the Canadian Medical Association on the subject of youth and sport were taken as a suggestion that Canadian children were out of shape.
This was at first considered “tactless”, but Philip was later admired for his encouragement of physical fitness.

In Canada in 1969, Philip spoke out, 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 until his grandson Prince William took over the role in 2013.

He served as UK President of the World Wildlife Fund from 1961 to 1982, international President from 1981, and President emeritus from 1996.

In 1952, he became Patron of The Industrial Society (since renamed The Work Foundation).

Between 1959 and 1965 Prince Philip was the President of BAFTA.

He was President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1964 to 1986.

He served as Chancellor of the Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Salford, and Wales.

In 2017, the British Heart Foundation thanked Prince Philip for being it`s Patron for 55 years, during which time, in addition to organising fundraisers, he “supported the creation of nine BHF-funded centres of excellence”.

He was an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge.

Philip became the longest serving British Royal Consort.

He became the oldest-ever male British Royal in February 2013, and the third-longest-lived member of the British Royal family (following Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) in April 2019.

Personally, he was not enthused about living an extremely long life, remarking in a 2000 interview (when he was 80) that he could not “imagine anything worse” and had “no desire whatsoever” to become a Centenarian, saying “bits of me are falling off already”.

In 2008, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital, London, for a chest infection; he walked into the hospital unaided, recovered quickly,and was discharged three days later.

After the Evening Standard reported that Philip had Prostate Cancer, Buckingham Palace – which usually refuses to comment on health rumours – denied the story and the paper retracted it.

In June 2011, in an interview marking his 90th birthday, he said that he would now slow down and reduce his duties, stating that he had “done (his) bit”.

His wife, the Queen, gave him the title Lord High Admiral for his 90th birthday.

While staying at Sandringham House, the Royal residence in Norfolk, on 23 December 2011, the Duke suffered chest pains and was taken to the cardio-thoracic unit at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire, where he underwent successful coronary angioplasty and stenting. He was discharged on 27 December.

On 4 June 2012, during the celebrations in honour of his Wife’s Diamond Jubilee, Philip was taken from Windsor Castle to King Edward VII’s Hospital suffering from a Bladder Infection. He was released from hospital on 9 June.

After a recurrence of Infection in August 2012, while staying at Balmoral Castle, he was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for five nights as a precautionary measure.

In June 2013, Philip was admitted to the London Clinic for an exploratory operation on his Abdomen, spending 11 days in hospital.

On 21 May 2014, the Prince appeared in public with a bandage on his right hand after a “minor procedure” was performed in Buckingham Palace the preceding day.

In June 2017, he was taken from Windsor to London and admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital after being diagnosed with an Infection. He spent two nights in the hospital and was unable to attend the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot.

Prince Philip retired from his Royal duties on 2 August 2017, meeting Royal Marines in his final solo public engagement, aged 96.

Since 1952 he had completed 22,219 solo engagements.

Prime Minister Theresa May thanked him for “a remarkable lifetime of service”.

On 20 November 2017, he celebrated his 70th wedding anniversary with the Queen, which made her the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.

On 3 April 2018, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital for a planned hip replacement, which took place the next day.

This came after the Duke missed the annual Maundy and Easter Sunday services.

On 12 April, his daughter, Princess Anne, spent about 50 minutes in the hospital and afterwards said her father was “on good form”.

He was discharged the following day.

On 19 May, six weeks later, he attended the wedding of his grandson Prince Harry to Meghan Markle and was able to walk with the Queen unaided.

That October, he accompanied the Queen to the wedding-of their granddaughter Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, with The Telegraph reporting that Philip works on a “wake up and see how I feel” basis when deciding whether to attend an event or not.

On 17 January 2019, 97-year-old Philip was involved in a car crash as he pulled out onto a main road near the Sandringham Estate.

An official statement said he was uninjured. An eyewitness who came to the Princes’s aid described having to wipe blood off his hands.

The driver and a passenger of the other car were injured and taken to hospital.

Philip attended hospital the next morning as a precaution.

He apologised and three weeks later voluntarily surrendered his driving licence.

On 14 February, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that prosecuting Philip would not be in the public interest.

The Duke was still allowed to drive around private estates, and was seen behind the wheel in the grounds of Windsor Castle in April 2019.

From 20 to 24 December 2019, Philip stayed at King Edward VII’s Hospital and received treatment for a “pre-existing condition”, in a visit described by Buckingham Palace as a “precautionary measure”

He had not been seen in public since attending Lady Gabriella Kingston’s wedding in May 2019.

A photo of Philip with the Queen as they isolated at Windsor Castle during the COVID-19 pandemic was released ahead of his 99th birthday in June 2020.

In July 2020, he stepped down as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, a position he had held since 2007. He was succeeded by the Duchess of Cornwall.

On 9 January 2021, Philip and the Queen were vaccinated against COVID-19 by a household Doctor at Windsor Castle.

On 16 February 2021, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital as a “precautionary measure” after feeling unwell.

He was visited by Prince Charles on 20 February.

On 23 February, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace that Philip was “responding to treatment” for an Infection.

On 1 March 2021, Philip was transferred by Ambulance to St Bartholomew’s Hospital to continue treatment for an Infection, and additionally to undergo “testing and observation” relating to a pre-existing Heart condition.

He underwent a successful procedure for his Heart condition on 3 March and was transferred back to King Edward VII’s Hospital on 5 March. He was discharged on 16 March.

It is notable to remember that Prince Philip was a very active man and enjoyed walking and riding, he put his fitness down to the tough education at Gordonstoun school.

A sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the Equestrian event of carriage driving, this he started at the age of 50 years.

Some 70 years of marriage ended this morning as the Queen`s “strength and stay” died at his beloved Windsor Castle, a place he found more of a home than Buckingham Palace.

His late Mother was born there, there had been happy times there his Grandson had married there.

Now he will lay in rest at Windsor Castle, and will be buried there. (17th April 2021)

He left his beloved “ lillybeth,” whom he also called “Cabbage”, as a term of endearment this morning.

On his death, this means the Elizabethan reign will be ended with a Widowed Queen, like his Great Grandmothers’ Victorian reign.

He will be remembered by so many of us as a strong jovial character forth right and charismatic his legacy will live on in the Charities he founded; he was a very humble man, wanting to make change.

His legacy will carry forward with his Children and his Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Philip had four children with Elizabeth: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Through a British Order in Council issued in 1960, descendants of the couple not bearing Royal titles can use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, which has also been used by some members of the Royal family who do hold titles, such as Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

The title which was bestowed on Prince Philip, that of, The Duke Of Edinburgh should be passed to Prince Charles in due course as the Eldest Son, however as he is air to the Throne, on his succession to the Throne when his Mother dies this will go to the youngest Son of the late Prince Philip, that of Prince Edward. (Earl of Wessex)

The death of Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh will now see the start of Operation Forth Bridge, the name for the funeral arrangements that he would have planned with his Wife ahead of his death, even designing the land rover, that he will travel in for his funeral.

The Prince wanted a humble funeral he will be remembered for his contribution to so many causes.

It is notable that during this time the Royal family have asked to preserve the Pandemic safety provisions that people do not break covid distancing and therefore have asked that people do not lay flowers, instead they have asked that people give to charity instead.

I will close with this ;

Prince Philip was once regarded as a Republican due to his remarks when he had said the following:

“ It is a complete misconception to imagine that the monarchy exists in the interests of the monarch. It doesn’t.

It exists in the interests of the people. If at any time any nation decides that the system is unacceptable, then it is up to them to change it.”

Article by Julie Ann Rosser 

Lest We Forget

HRH Prince Philip, Prince of Greece and Prince of Denmark, Duke of Edinburgh, Consort to Queen Elizabeth ll.

Prince Philip did not want a Eulogy.

The poem below was written by Simon Armitage Poet Laurette.

The weather in the window this morning is snow, unseasonal singular flakes,
a slow winter’s final shiver.

On such an occasion to presume to eulogise one man is to pipe up
for a whole generation – that crew whose survival
was always the stuff of minor miracle,
who came ashore in orange-crate coracles,
fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea
with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes.

Husbands to duty, they unrolled their plans
across billiard tables and vehicle bonnets, regrouped at breakfast.

What their secrets were, was everyone’s guess and nobody’s business.

Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case
in a family heirloom of nesting dolls.

Like evidence of early man their boot-prints stand
in the hardened earth of rose-beds and borders.

They were sons of a zodiac out of sync with the solar year, but turned their minds
to the day’s big science and heavy questions.

To study their hands at rest was to picture maps showing hachured valleys and indigo streams, schemes
of old campaigns and reconnaissance missions.

Last of the great avuncular magicians they kept their best tricks for the grand finale:
Disproving Immortality and Disappearing Entirely.

The major oaks in the wood start tuning up and skies to come will deliver their tributes.

But for now, a cold April’s closing moments
parachute slowly home, so by mid-afternoon
snow is recast as seed heads and thistledown.

Philip, The Reflection of a True Prince.

There’s always something about this man that I liked, because of his scheme, through the wilds of this country I have hiked, just a boy, the first time, when Philip I did see, even then around him, great controversy.

A free-thinking man, one who followed no rules, bent them and twisted them, neither suffered the fools, open to expressions, that would upset someone’s day, those sensitive souls, who would cry and hide away.

With my job, our paths crossed a few times, even in the palace garden, I was just a face in line, the flamingos in the lake, paid no heed, the ankle snapping corgis, the Queen, seemed to please.

His character was built over time, Royal from birth, the only boy, in his family line, four sisters probably shaped his life, family exiled with Philips’s cot, a fruit box, the family rescued by the Royal Navy, those in need would not be forgot.

By royal standards, individual wealth was low, a mixture of Greek and Danish, but with nowhere to go, a difficult childhood, with no place to call home, farmed out to the family, as if out on loan.

He became known as a charmer, living in France possibly helped him with that, a young Royal Prince, many would attract, the beauties of the day, and a young man at play.

Living in Paris, and his schooling started there, before moving to live with his grandmother, to continue his education over here, his mother wasn’t well, and his father lived elsewhere.

Contact with his mother, as a young man was rare, back in those days certain illnesses, in public, were not seen anywhere, banished to a room under lock and key, a boy to a young man with no mother, would not be happy.

Served in the Navy, but I can’t blame him for that, a wartime sailor, saw action, saved his ship from a bombing attack, lives of the stokers, he tried to save on another ship, a brave man, and that’s a fact.

On a tour at Dartmouth, two royal daughters, of an escort were in need, and his charms were noted by our future Queen, his humour, his compassion was clearly seen, the best cadet of his course, the prince and princess became a team.

Though of Greek birth, he was more British than most, a great father who loved his children, sending them off to school, he really did loathe, for them he wanted what he never had, parents around them, happy memories, not bad.

A man of many talents, a benefit to this nation, and so many charities for sure, humorous and outspoken, a father, a husband, and to this country, so much more, Philip, a great man he is, and by so many will be missed.

Derrick W Sole. 09/04/2021.

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Stands Down

On the 22nd July 2020, The Duke of ,Edinburgh has been succeeded as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles Regiment by The Duchess of Cornwall, in a ceremony which took place at both Windsor Castle and Highgrove House.

The Duke has been Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments that have made up The Rifles since 1953, and today, they are the largest infantry Regiment in the British Army.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s arrival was marked by four Buglers, who are members of The Rifles’ military band.

The Duke was thanked for his 67 years of service and support to the Regiment, before the Buglers sounded the ‘No More Parades’ call, marking HRH’s final ceremony as The Rifles’ Colonel-in-Chief.

The Duchess of Cornwall

At Highgrove House, The Duchess of Cornwall was greeted by a Bugle call, and was welcomed by the Regiment’s Colonel Commandant as The Rifles’ new Colonel-in-Chief.
The Duchess has close links with the Regiment, and has served as Royal Colonel of its fourth Battalion since 2007.

Sourced and Credited to The Royal Family Facebook.