The Duke of Edinburgh 1921 – 2021

Today we share very sad news.

That is the official announcement from the Royal Family site.  Below, the announcement as posted on social media.

A notice with the news was posted on an easel at Buckingham Palace.

Because of the pandemic, it was removed after an hour in an effort to keep crowds from gathering.  People brought flowers and other remembrances to the gates at the Palace. 

Nor will there be Books of Condolence available for the public to sign. Instead, there will be an electronic version. 

An Online Book of Condolence is now available on the Royal website for those who wish to send a personal message of condolence: https://t.co/0w7Vd7kYq0

Visit https://t.co/utgjraQQv5 for updates from Buckingham Palace and information about The Duke of Edinburgh’s life and work. pic.twitter.com/fkV4FTvhqI

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 9, 2021

The Royal Family requested “that members of the public consider making a donation to a charity instead of leaving floral tributes in memory of The Duke.” 

The scene at Picadilly Circus. 

From The Telegraph’s coverage: 

Britain has entered eight days of mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh during which flags will be flown at half mast, TV presenters will wear black and Parliament will pass no new laws.

Between now and Prince Philip’s funeral, the Queen will not carry out any duties either in public or in private, and any new laws requiring Royal Assent will not be sent to her for approval.

At Parliament.

From the Royal Family website:

During the coronavirus pandemic, and in light of current Government advice and social distancing guidelines, modified Funeral and ceremonial arrangements for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are being considered by Her Majesty The Queen. Details will be confirmed in due course. 

In accordance with public health advice, members of the public are asked to continue to follow the current Government guidance, not to gather in crowds, and not to visit Royal residences to pay their respects. 

And at Windsor, where HM is staying. CNN reports Price Charles visited his mother today at Windsor. 

From the BBC:  

The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

And from the Royal Family site: 

On Saturday, 10th April at 1200, a Death Gun Salute will be fired to mark the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Across the United Kingdom, in Gibraltar and on Her Majesty’s Ships at sea, 41 rounds will be fired at one round every minute for 40 minutes. The Gun Salutes will be broadcast online and on television, and members of the public are encouraged to watch from home.

In London, The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will use the same guns that were fired for Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Wedding in 1947, and at The Queen’s Coronation in 1953.

The Duke of Edinburgh was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.  He would have been 100 on June 10.  Below, an official 70th wedding anniversary photo. 

From Patricia Treble’s obituary in Maclean’s: 

Philip proposed to the 20-year-old princess in September 1946. He had little money and few possessions, yet the future Queen didn’t care. At the urging of her parents, they kept the engagement a secret for 10 months to be sure of their decision, during which time Philip became a naturalized British citizen. He took the name Philip Mountbatten, the name his mother’s family adopted when their German title of Battenberg was extinguished during the First World War.

Below, the couple with Princess Margaret in a photo for the announcement of the couple’s engagement in 1947.

And an image from the wedding at Westminster Abbey. 

In comments made on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, HM said, “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.” Below, a 60th-anniversary photo. 

From this BBC story: 

The BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said it was “a moment of sadness” for the country and “most particularly, for the Queen losing her husband of 73 years – a bigger span of years than most of us can imagine”.

He said Prince Philip had made “a huge contribution to the success of the Queen’s reign”, describing the duke as “utterly loyal in his belief in the importance of the role that the Queen was fulfilling – and in his duty to support her”.

“It was the importance of the solidity of that relationship, of their marriage, that was so crucial to the success of her reign,” he added.

Below, the last official photo of the couple, released for their 73rd anniversary in November, as they look at a card made by the Cambridge children.  

There are many other sites to read very well done obituaries and notable pieces, but I thought today we would look back at photos from occasions where we saw the Duke of Edinburgh and Duchess of Cambridge together.  Here you see an image following William and Kate’s wedding in 2011.

Trooping the Colour in June 2011. 

You don’t see him in this photo, but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined other family members for a service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, marking the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday, also in June 2011.

The Duchess accompanied HM and Prince Philip in March 2012 for engagements launching the UK portion of the Jubilee Tour.

The Jubilee River Pageant in June 2012. 

At Trooping the Colour in 2012. 

During a visit to Baker Street Station in March 2013.

Prince George’s christening in October 2013. 

And Trooping the Colour 2014.

At Sandringham on Christmas Day 2014. 

A March 2015 service honoring those who served in Afghanistan.  

Trooping the Colour in June 2015. 

Princess Charlotte’s christening in July 2015. 

A formal portrait from the christening. 

A December 2015 service when the Duchess took on Prince Philip’s role as Honorary Air Commandant of the RAF Air Cadets. 

At a Sandringham service in January 2016, marking the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign.  

The Queen’s 90th birthday celebration at Windsor in May 2016.

Also in May 2016, a Buckingham Palace garden party. 

At a National Service of Thanksgiving in June 2016 commemorating the Queen’s 90th birthday. 

And Trooping the Colour 2016.

At a luncheon the next day celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday in June 2016.

The Festival of Remembrance in November 2016. 

The Diplomatic Reception in 2016. 

On the way to church services at Sandringham in January 2017.

At the March 2017 unveiling of the Iran Afghanistan Memorial, you see Prince Philip on the far right.

Also in March 2017, the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. 

A May 2017 garden party at Buckingham Palace. 

At Trooping the Colour in June 2017. At Royal Ascot 2017 as a moment of silence was observed in memory of the London and Manchester terror attack and the Grenfell Tower fire.

Attending 2017’s Festival of Remembrance.

Christmas at Sandringham in 2017. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s May 2018 wedding. 

And Princess Eugenie’s October 2018 wedding. 

There are events not shown in this post because there aren’t photos of both Prince Philip and the Duchess of Cambridge (Epsom Derby, Order of the Garter, etc.). 

Below, the Duke at his final individual public engagement in August 2017.

And a final photo of the Duke, this one from 2014 as he presented medals to the Royal Regiment of Scotland in June 2014 in Germany.

 

LINKAGE: 

• The Royal Family’s primary page on the Duke’s life is here; sub-pages include sections on his early life & education; his role as Consort to HMTQ; his charities and patronages; his marriage and family; the Duke of Edinburgh and the Commonwealth; and the Armed Forces. 
• Patricia Treble’s Maclean’s obituary is here; The Telegraph’s obituary section is here; The Daily Mail’s coverage section is here; Robert Jobson’s obituary for The Evening Standard is here; the BBC’s obit is here; the Guardian’s obit is here; the New York Times obituary is here;
• Hello’s coverage landing page is here; CNN’s live updates are here
• A Vanity Fair photo gallery is here; the BBC’s gallery is here; a Washington Post slide show is here; a Town and Country gallery is here; Hello’s gallery of family photos is here
• FEATURES: 
  • The Washington Post: “The epic unlikely love story between Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip” 
  • NY Times: “Prince Philip, the Man Who Walked Two Paces Behind the Queen” 
  • Vogue: “The Last Gentleman: An Homage to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Impeccable Style Through the Decades”
  • Vogue: “From The Archive: Antonia Fraser Recalls Witnessing The Future Queen’s Marriage To The Duke Of Edinburgh“
  • New Yorker: 1947 report, “A Ringside Seat at the Wedding” (signup or subscription req’d.)