Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband of 73 years, died peacefully on Friday morning.
The Duke of Edinburgh has sadly passed away at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed a long and supportive marriage. He married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen; as the country was still rebuilding after World War II, the wedding was seen as a huge morale boost. It was, said then Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a flash of colour in the grey, post-war Britain. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history and a pillar of strength for the Queen.
A statement released by The Royal Family said, “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.
The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.
Further announcements will be made in due course.
Visit royal.uk to read the announcement in full.”
Prince Philip and the Queen were married for 73 years. She is our Head of State and he was by her side every step of the way and widely respected across the world, despite occasional controversies.
Working with charities even into his 90s, Prince Philip was a patron, president, or member of over 780 organisations. One of his proudest achievements was The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a self-improvement programme for young people aged 14 to 24. It has helped hundreds of thousands of young people since its launch in 1956.
Our thoughts are with The Queen on the sad loss of her husband. They devoted themselves to a life of duty and to each other.
