ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 8

He was queen’s bedrock Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99 LONDON, April 10, (AP): Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded Biden offers condolences to queen husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades sup- porting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has Britain mourns Prince Philip; world died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99. leaders honor his service to queen His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his LONDON, April 10, (AP): World “As we recover and rebuild after the birth into the Greek royal family and leaders and people on the street hon- terrible trial of the coronavirus pan- ending as Britain’s longest serving ored Prince Philip’s life of service to demic, we will need fortitude and a consort during a turbulent reign in his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, and the deep sense of commitment to serving which the thousand-year-old monar- British nation Friday after hearing of others, Welby wrote. “Throughout his chy was forced to reinvent itself for the death of a man who had been at the life Prince Philip displayed those qual- the 21st century. center of public life longer than most ities in abundance, and I pray that we He was known for his occasionally of them have been alive. can take inspiration from his exam- deeply offensive remarks - and for At Buckingham Palace, the queen’s ple.” gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 London residence, members of the The royal families of Denmark, royal engagements to boost British public laid daffodils at the gates, and Monaco, the Netherlands, Qatar and interests at home and abroad. He head- the flag was lowered to half-staff. The the United Arab Emirates sent mes- ed hundreds of charities, founded pro- BBC interrupted programming to sages to the queen. World leaders grams that helped British schoolchil- broadcast the national anthem, “God including Australia’s Scott Morrison, dren participate in outdoor adventures, Save the Queen.” Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, India’s and played a prominent part in raising Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Narendra Modi and Canada’s Justin his four children. Philip, 99, “earned the affection of Trudeau also expressed their sad- “It is with deep sorrow that Her generations here in Britain, across the ness. Majesty The Queen has announced the Commonwealth and around the Even Russian President Vladimir death of her beloved husband, His world.” Putin, who has been at odds with Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Britain over issues ranging from elec- Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said. Decades tion interference to the poisoning of a Philip saw his sole role as providing “We are a kingdom united both in former spy in England, sent a telegram support for his wife as she confronted grief and in gratitude,” Johnson said. of condolence to the queen. The the changing demands placed on a “Grief at Prince Philip’s passing, and Russian Embassy in London noted that constitutional monarch who began her gratitude for his decades of selfless Philip was the great-great-grandson of reign as Britain retreated from empire service to the country.” Czar Nicholas I. and steered the monarchy through Philip, who served in the Royal Philip “rightfully enjoyed respect decades of declining social deference Navy during World War II, married among the British and international and UK power into a modern world the future queen in 1947 and kept up a authorities,” Putin said. where people demand intimacy from full schedule of public appearances The prince’s fictional family also their icons. until he retired in 2017. On March 16, reached out to the queen. The team Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted he was released from the hospital behind Netflix’s hugely popular royal Philip “helped to steer the royal family looking tired and gaunt after receiving drama The Crown said they were and the monarchy so that it remains an treatment for an undisclosed infection “deeply saddened” to hear of his death. institution indisputably vital to the bal- and a heart problem. Robert Lacey, a royal biographer ance and happiness of our national Known for his sharp wit and loyalty and adviser to The Crown, told the life.” to the monarch, he fulfilled more than BBC that Philip was the “secret ingre- The queen, a very private person not 20,000 royal engagements to boost dient” of the queen’s success. given to extravagant displays of affec- British interests at home and abroad. “He’s been a part of our life, hasn’t tion, once called him “her rock” in He also led hundreds of charities, start- he,” Lacey said. “We must all, of public. ed programs that helped British course, be thinking of the queen, of schoolchildren, and helped raise his whose life he has been such an integral Private four children, including his eldest son, part. ... I would not want to diminish In private, Philip called his wife Prince Charles, the heir to the throne. the wonderful achievement of the Lilibet; but he referred to her in con- US President Joe Biden offered con- queen in her reign, but so many of her versation with others as “The Queen.” In this Oct 12, 2018 file photo, Britain’s Prince Philip waits for the bridal procession following the wedding of dolences to the queen “on behalf of the fresh ideas and fresh initiatives came Philip’s position was a challenging Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, England. Buckingham people of the United States.” from this remarkable man.” one - there is no official role for the Palace officials say Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died, it was announced on Friday, April “The impact of his decades of husband of a sovereign queen - and his 9, 2021. He was 99. (AP) devoted public service is evident in the Also: life was marked by extraordinary con- worthy causes he lifted up as patron, in LONDON: Prince Philip will be laid tradictions between his public and pri- was able to speak plainly to her and at age 25, Philip was not content to explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey, the environmental efforts he champi- to rest with all the honors due a prince vate duties. He always walked three provide unvarnished advice. stay on the sidelines. He promoted saying that Meghan had suffered oned, in the members of the Armed of the United Kingdom and a consort paces behind his wife in public, but he “All her life she was surrounded by British industry and science, espoused neglect and racist attitudes while a Forces that he supported, in the young to Queen Elizabeth II. was the head of the family in private. men who said, ‘yes ma’am,’ and he environmental preservation long working member of the family. The people he inspired, and so much more, But the coronavirus pandemic Philip often took a wry approach to was one man who always told her how before it became fashionable, and trav- palace called the issues raised by the he said. “His legacy will live on not means it will be a more low-key fare- his unusual position. it really was, or at least how he saw it,” eled widely and frequently in support couple “concerning” and said they only through his family, but in all the well than has marked many royal “Constitutionally, I don’t exist,” he said royal historian Robert Lacey. of his many charities. would be “addressed by the family charitable endeavors he shaped. deaths. The pandemic has required once said. Lacey said at the time of the royal privately.” Soon after the announcement of changes to the well-prepared plans for Over the course of the decades, family’s difficult relations with Duties Philip is survived by the queen and Philip’s death, people lined up outside Philip’s passing, code-named Philip’s image changed from that of Princess Diana after her marriage to In May 2017 Philip announced that their four children - Prince Charles, Buckingham Palace to see the official Operation Forth Bridge. handsome, dashing athlete to arro- Prince Charles broke down, Philip he was stepping back from royal Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and notice that had been attached to the “During the coronavirus pandemic, gant and insensitive curmudgeon. spoke for the family with authority. duties. Prince Edward - as well as eight grand- gate. It was removed soon afterward and in light of current government The popular Netflix series “The Philip was descended from Danish His final years were clouded by children and 10 great-grandchildren. because of concerns that it would advice and social distancing guide- Crown” portrayed a slightly racy, and German royalty and, like controversy and fissures within the When Prince Philip married the heir attract crowds, violating social dis- lines, modified Funeral and ceremoni- swashbuckling Philip. In his later Elizabeth, was a great-great-grand- royal family. tancing rules during the COVID-19 al arrangements for His Royal to the British throne, he knew he was pandemic. Highness The Duke of Edinburgh are years, the image finally settled into child of Queen Victoria. His third child, Prince Andrew, was stepping into virtually uncharted terri- that of droll and philosophical Born June 10, 1921, on the dining embroiled in scandal over his friend- The government later issued a state- being considered by Her Majesty The tory. ment asking people not to gather or Queen,” Buckingham Palace said in a observer of the times. room table at his parents’ home on the ship with American financier Jeffrey There was no official role for the Many Britons appreciated what they Greek island of Corfu, Philip was the Epstein, who died in a New York leave flowers outside royal residences statement. “Details will be confirmed husband of a sovereign queen, no con- around the country to protect public in due course.” saw as his propensity to speak his fifth child and only son of Prince prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on stitutional duty or legal responsibility. mind, while others criticized behavior Andrew, younger brother of the king sex trafficking charges. health. Flags on government buildings and “There was no precedent,” he said “I’m quite emotional actually even royal residences were lowered to half- they labeled as racist, sexist or out of of Greece. Andrew faced accusations from a when he turned 90. “If I asked some- touch. In 1995, for example, he asked When Philip was 18 months old, his woman who said that she had several just talking about it,” Louisa Crook, a mast and British television networks body, ‘What do you expect me to do?’ 41-year-old London resident, said out- canceled scheduled programs to allow a Scottish driving instructor, “How do parents were forced into exile and fled sexual encounters with the prince at They all looked blank. They had no you keep the natives off the booze to France. Epstein’s behest. He denied the claim side Buckingham Palace. “The news for special coverage after Philip died idea.” broke as we were walking through Friday at 99. long enough to pass the test?” On one Philip went to school in Britain, but withdrew from public royal duties. His wife Elizabeth knew exactly visit to a military barracks, he asked a attended Britannia Royal Naval At the start of 2020, Philip’s grand- Parliament Square, and my daughter His death will be marked with what she had to do when she became and I just said we just felt like we had 41-gun salutes at noon on Saturday at sea cadet instructor if she worked in a College Dartmouth and eventually son Prince Harry and his wife, the queen in 1952 after the premature strip club. served in World War II. American former actress Meghan to come down here and just be near the locations across the country, including death of her father, King George VI. palace – safely, obviously, masks and the Tower of London and Edinburgh Still, many believe he was one of Having given up a promising naval Markle, announced they were quitting For Philip, though, her ascension to the few figures in the queen’s life who career when Elizabeth became queen royal duties. Last month, they gave an everything else – and just be close to Castle, as well as in Gibraltar and on the throne marked the end of his career the Royal Family today.” Royal Navy ships at sea. as a naval officer and a plunge into Around the country, others marked But the palace and the British gov- uncertainty. Philip’s death in their own way. ernment urged people not to gather or But at that crucial moment, he The tenor bell at Westminster lay flowers outside the royal residenc- carved out the part he would carry Abbey is being tolled 99 times to mark es to honor him. The palace instead through the decades: the queen’s hon- each year of the Duke of Edinburgh’s invited well-wishers to sign a book of est and unwavering bedrock of support life. condolences – but only online, to through a turbulent reign in which the A two-minute’s silence was held at avoid crowds and queues. thousand-year-old monarchy was cricket matches in England’s county Britain, which has Europe’s highest forced to reinvent itself for the 21st championship and at the Grand toll in the pandemic at over 127,000 century. It was a role the Duke of National horse racing meeting. dead, is still under some lockdown Edinburgh played until his death The government said official flags restrictions to combat the spread of Friday at age 99. will fly at half-staff throughout the UK COVID-19. His marriage both defined and con- until after the Philip’s funeral. When the Queen Mother Elizabeth stricted his life, placing the irascible, Justin Welby, the archbishop of – the last royal consort to pass on – tough-minded Philip three steps Canterbury, the most senior cleric in died in 2002, her coffin lay in state at behind the queen in public, even if he the Anglican Church, gave thanks to Parliament’s Westminster Hall, and played a significant role at home, God for Philip’s life of dedicated ser- thousands of people filed past to pay including in raising four children. vice. their last respects.