Prince Philip
9 April 2021
It is with great sadness that we received the news that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, passed away peacefully on Friday 9 April, 2021. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family and, in particular, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as they grieve for their loss.
This is a period of public grief when people who do not know each other come together to mourn a national figure. Prince Philip will have been a constant in many of our lives and is someone for whom we have collective affection, despite not knowing him personally.
The Duke of Edinburgh, born in Greece, had a distinguished Naval career in the Royal Navy. His career included seeing combat during the Second World War; where he became one of the youngest serving Lieutenants in the Royal Navy serving on board the Destroyer HMS Wallace. Yet it will be his constant and steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen; in particular after the passing of her own father King George VI and in the years following that he will be remembered for. The Duke of Edinburgh, himself, stated that he believed that his job was “to ensure the Queen could reign”.
Prince Philip led a life of remarkable public service up to his retirement in August 2017. As Cardinal Vincent Nichols has stated “"He has been an example of steadfast loyalty and duty cheerfully given. May he rest in peace."
Buckingham Palace’s e-book of condolence is available for signing on the Palace website