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Showing posts with label Duke of Edinburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duke of Edinburgh. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2021
The Funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh
BBC live HERE »
Sunday, April 11, 2021
’My Dear Papa Was a Very Special Person,’ Prince Charles Says
Friday, April 09, 2021
Prince Philip: An Extraordinary Man Who Led an Extraordinary Life
And so we have been left with a two-dimensional portrait of the duke; salt-tongued and short-tempered, a man who told off-colour jokes and made politically incorrect remarks, an eccentric great-uncle who'd been around forever and towards whom most people felt affection - but who rather too often embarrassed himself and others in company.
With his death will come reassessment. Because Prince Philip was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life; a life intimately connected with the sweeping changes of our turbulent 20th Century, a life of fascinating contrast and contradiction, of service and some degree of solitude. A complex, clever, eternally restless man.
His mother and father met at the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901. At a time when all but four of Europe's nations were monarchies, his relatives were scattered through European royalty. Some royal houses were swept away by World War One; but the world into which Philip was born was still one where monarchies were the norm. His grandfather was the King of Greece; his great-aunt Ella was murdered along with the Russian tsar, by the Bolsheviks, at Ekaterinberg; his mother was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
His four older sisters would all marry Germans. While Philip fought for Britain in the Royal Navy, three of his sisters actively supported the Nazi cause; none would be invited to his wedding. » | Jonny Dymond, Royal correspondent | Friday, April 9, 2021
'Cherish the Memories' – Prince Philip
The telegram from King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain was particularly poignant, sending "all our love and affection" to Aunt Lilibet (the affectionate name used by the duke for his wife) and Dear Uncle Philip.
"We shall never forget the moments that we shared with him and the legacy of service and dedication to the Crown and the United Kingdom by your side," they told the Queen.
Sweden's King Carl Gustaf was also moved, saying the duke had been "a great friend of our family for many years, a relation we have deeply valued".
Swedish royal family spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren told the BBC the king and the duke had sailed together in England, adding: "That was the start of a great friendship between them."
The Dutch royal family said they remembered Prince Philip with great respect, adding: "He dedicated his long life to the service of the British people and to his many duties and responsibilities. His lively personality made an indelible impression."
Belgium's King Philippe said he and Queen Mathilde would "always cherish the memories of our warm encounters". Prince Philip: World leaders and royals send heartfelt sympathy » | Friday, April 9, 2021
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Obituary
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who has died aged 99, was the Queen’s husband for 73 years. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history, the family’s patriarch and a well-known figure in public life for two-thirds of a century until his final disappearance into seclusion in 2019.
This was a marathon stint on which he had originally embarked with resignation, in the belief that a life of walking several steps behind his wife, curbing his opinions – though not always his tongue – and being an appendage to the institution, without even being able to pass on his surname to his children, would turn him into “nothing but a bloody amoeba”.
Things did not work out that badly. He brought a relaxed, mostly affable, peppery, outspoken – and occasionally brusque – style to a ceremonial monarchy that would have been more hidebound, introverted, insipid and decidedly stuffy without him. He introduced badly needed fresh air into the royal family but, while his longevity ensured that he became an integral part of the family firm, he clearly never forgot his initial, impecunious, foreign and outsider status within the institution.
His dutiful support for his wife and his engagement in public visits, ceremonial occasions and foreign trips continued well into old age. In 2011, he said in a television interview that he was winding down, but it was not until 2017 that he completed his final public engagement and it was only in January 2019, when he gave up driving after causing a car crash near the Sandringham estate, that he disappeared from view. He became the focus of attention again in February 2021, when he went into King Edward VII’s hospital in central London after an infection. » | Stephen Bates | Friday, April 9, 2021
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
BBC: The Queen has welcomed the Emir of Kuwait to the UK for a three-day state visit.
Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah is staying at Windsor Castle, where a state banquet will be held on Tuesday.
Sheikh Sabah, 83, will have a private audience with the Prince of Wales, and meet British industry leaders at an event hosted by the Duke of York.
He will also hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. It is the first state visit from Kuwait for 17 years.
Sheikh Sabah was greeted by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles in the centre of Windsor near one of the town's two stations as well-wishers looked on.
They then returned to the castle in a carriage, with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment providing an escort. (+ video) » | Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, June 09, 2012
BBC: Prince Philip has left hospital after a five-night stay receiving treatment for a bladder infection.Smiling, he waved to well-wishers and shook hands with staff, a day before his 91st birthday on Sunday.
He was admitted to London's King Edward VII hospital on Monday, a day after attending the rain-drenched Jubilee river pageant with the Queen.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "The Duke of Edinburgh continues to make a good recovery."
He added: "He will continue his convalescence at home. He will spend the weekend privately."
Asked outside the hospital if he was feeling better, the duke said dryly: "Well, I wouldn't be coming out if I wasn't." (+ video) » | Saturday, June 09, 2012
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Monday, June 04, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Duke of Edinburgh has been taken to hospital suffering from a bladder infection and will miss the remainder of the Jubilee celebrations, Buckingham Palace has announced.The Duke, 90, will spend the next few days at King Edward VII Hospital in London after being taken there by ambulance from Windsor Castle.
He was said to be "disappointed" that he would miss the remainder of the Jubilee weekend, which culminates tomorrow with a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral and a carriage procession through the capital.
The Duke's sudden illness, which follows a spell in hospital over Christmas after he suffered heart problems, will lead to inevitable speculation that his health has suffered as a result of the four hours he spent in the open in bitterly cold and wet conditions during yesterday's Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: "His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh was taken to King Edward VII Hospital in London this afternoon from Windsor Castle as a precautionary measure after developing a bladder infection, which is being assessed and treated.
"Prince Philip will remain in hospital under observation for a few days. He is understandably disappointed about missing this evening's Diamond Jubilee concert and tomorrow's engagements." » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Monday, June 04, 2012
My comment:
This is sad news indeed. My thoughts are with him and Her Majesty at this difficult time. It is to be hoped that the Duke will make a speedy and sound recovery. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
Friday, December 02, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen was reduced to tears by the Duke of Edinburgh’s “brutal” behaviour towards her when she refused to take his surname of Mountbatten, according to a new biography.
Sally Bedell Smith even suggests that the ten-year delay between the births of the Princess Royal and the Duke of York was the result of “Philip’s anger over the Queen’s rejection of his family name”.
Her book, Elizabeth the Queen, to be published in January, details the Duke’s deep-rooted irritation over the monarch’s decision to accept the advice of the then prime minister, Winston Churchill, by keeping the family name Windsor.
The Duke had wanted the Royal family to be known as the House of Mountbatten when the Queen came to the throne in 1952, and complained to friends that: “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children. I’m nothing but a bloody amoeba.”
Earl Mountbatten, the Duke’s uncle and mentor, believed the “delay” in the couple having any more children after the Princess Royal was a result of the Duke’s anger over the question of the family name. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, December 02, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Dieses Video ist zum Teil in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch).
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen sprang a 90th birthday surprise on the Duke of Edinburgh yesterday by making him Lord High Admiral, the titular head of the Royal Navy.
Her Majesty has held the title herself since a re-organisation of the Navy in 1964, but decided to bestow it on her husband as a gift to mark his landmark birthday and to show her gratitude for his unstinting support during 59 years as her consort.
A royal insider said the Duke was “really, really touched” by the honour, which the Queen told him about during a private birthday lunch for two at Buckingham Palace.
“The Duke’s great passion in life was the Royal Navy,” said the insider, “so this it’s just the most amazing gift for the Queen to have given him. It was a complete surprise and he only found out about it when the Queen told him during their lunch.”
The title is a particularly fitting gift for the Duke, who served with the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during the Second World War, and will be seen as a recognition by the Queen of the sacrifice her husband made by giving up his Naval career to be her full-time consort when she became monarch in 1952. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Friday, June 10, 2011
VANCOUVER SUN: OTTAWA — To commemorate Prince Philip's 90th birthday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday that the Duke of Edinburgh had been appointed to the top ranks of the Canadian Forces.
Prince Philip was appointed as an honorary admiral and general, marking the first time the high ranks have been granted on an honorary basis.
"I am delighted that His Royal Highness has accepted this honour from Canada in recognition of his significant contribution to our national life," Harper said in a statement. "His unwavering support of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and his commitment to the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as to many other fields of endeavour in this country, are worthy of our highest recognition and deepest gratitude."
With the most recent appointments, Prince Philip becomes an admiral in maritime command and a general in land forces and air command. He is allowed to wear the ranks on all three uniforms of the Canadian Forces. » | POSTMEDIA NEWS | Friday, June 10, 2011
Related »
Facts about Philip »
WIKI: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh »
THE INDEPENDENT: When Elizabeth became the Queen, he was forced to quit his job in the Navy, and became depressed for months
Is there a more consistently hilarious sight in Britain than the endless parade of slavering monarchists trying to convince us the Windsor family is the embodiment of virtue and hard work? Today is the 90th birthday of Philip Mountbatten. Ordinarily, I would wish him a happy day, as I would any other 90-year-old, and then let the event pass in silence – if only the monarchists were not so relentlessly using the event as yet another propaganda tool for their snobbery-soaked institution. But we can't let yet another bout of their myth-making pass without answer.
Today, you are being encouraged to celebrate a man who merrily visited a genocidal dictator and used the occasion to sneer at British democracy. A man whose political interventions even prompted complaints from the far-right Enoch Powell. A man who, at the height of mass unemployment, mocked the unemployed, while complaining his own family of multi-millionaires was financially deprived. A man who has shot countless examples of endangered species – and then sought praise for his protection of wildlife.
But let's start with the myth. Monarchists feel the need to claim that the Windsors are somehow more worthy than the rest of us, but this is difficult, since they consist merely of whoever randomly emerges from a royal womb, and whoever that package of DNA and unearned privilege then chooses to marry. Windsors are thrown up by chance, and must have imaginary merits thrust upon them. You can see how hard this is by reading the moist panegyric written by the conservative commentator Peter Oborne last week. He said Philip is "colossally important" because... um... Well, he said, he represents continuity. That's true. If you gave my father a job for life from which he couldn't be fired and a slew of golden palaces to live in, he'd represent continuity too. So would yours. So would literally anyone in Britain. » | Johann Hari | Friday, June 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
THE TELEGRAPH: Mohamed Fayed has accused the Duke of Edinburgh of being a "Nazi" and a "racist" who ordered MI6 to assassinate Diana, Princess of Wales because she was pregnant with a Muslim baby.
In a series of extraordinary allegations at the inquest into the Princess's death, Mr Fayed also accused her former husband, the Prince of Wales, of plotting her "murder" so he could marry his new "crocodile wife" Camilla Parker Bowles.
He said the Royal Family were a "Dracula family" who had murdered the Princess the moment she had found happiness and even implicated Tony Blair, the former prime minister, in the plot.
The Harrods owner told the High Court hearing in London that he had fought a 10-year battle against a vast conspiracy encompassing both the British and French establishments as he tried to prove that the Princess and his son Dodi were killed by MI6, on the orders of the Duke, in a staged car crash in Paris on Aug 31, 1997.
The alleged conspiracy and cover-up included senior royals; MI6; two former Scotland Yard commissioners; French police and medics; the Princess's sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and several of her close friends, he claimed.
At the centre of Mr Fayed's case was a claim that his son and the Princess telephoned him an hour before the accident to say they were expecting a baby and would announce their engagement after she had told her sons.
Mr Fayed said: "I'm the only person that they told. Princess Diana told me before and during the holiday we shared in July 1997 of her fears. She told me that she knew Prince Philip and Prince Charles were trying to get rid of her."
He went on: "Prince Philip would not accept my son or anyone who is a person of different religion, naturally-tanned, curly hair. They would not accept that he would have anything to do with the future King.
"Prince Philip rules the country behind the scenes. I think Prince Philip is the actual head of the Royal Family. He is a racist. He was brought up by his aunt who married one of Hitler's generals.
"This is the man who is in charge, who is manipulating and can do anything. It's time to send him back to Germany from where he comes. You want to know his original name - it ends in Frankenstein." Mohamed Fayed’s fury at ‘Nazi’ Prince Philip >>> By Nick Allen
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