The husband of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip has died at a well-advanced age of 99 years old.
As announced by the Buckingham Palace, Prince Philip passed away on Friday morning peacefully at Winsor Castle.
Her Majesty announced her husband’s death at midday as the Union Flag was lowered to half-mast outside Buckingham Palace and on public buildings across the UK and Commonwealth, while members of the public hugged and wiped away tears as they laid flowers in his memory – and messages of love and support for the Queen and her family.
The Duke of Edinburgh spent his final days at Windsor Castle with his wife, who he lovingly called Lilibet throughout their long life together, after a 28-night stay in hospital having been admitted in mid-February for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition.
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As with all royal births, marriages and deaths, a notice announcing Philip’s passing was displayed outside Buckingham Palace. Mourners are already laying flowers at the palace, Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor Castle, where he is expected to be buried in Frogmore Gardens following a small family service at St George’s Chapel.
A state funeral including a flotilla of boats on the Thames to mark his life looks impossible due to covid restrictions, but the Duke was said to have disliked the idea because he ‘didn’t want the fuss’. Details will emerge in the next few days, with the plan nicknamed ‘Operation Forth Bridge’, but the public have already been urged to stay away to avoid spreading Covid-19.
