Cannon salute throughout the United Kingdom and overseas territories for the final farewell to Prince Consort Philip, who passed away yesterday at the age of 99. The Ministry of Defense has announced that 41 rounds per minute will be fired for a few minutes from Cardiff Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, Rock of Gibraltar, Tower of London and Woolwich Barracks in London. , from the naval bases of Devonport and Portsmouth and various warships at sea, including the Diamond and the Montrose, in honor of the Duke, who served as a naval officer during World War II and held the position of Lord High Admiral.
No state funeral
A man to whom we all “owe a greater debt than you will ever know”, as Queen Elizabeth herself said a few years ago on one of his last public birthdays. The Union Jack flies at half mast over Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey echoes 99 slow tolling bells, minute by minute, one for each of the years lived by the exiled prince who came from Greece with German, Danish and Russian blood. in their veins to become by far the longest-lived (and behind-the-scenes influential) royal consort in British history. A figure in whose honor the government announces national mourning, the Parliament a convocation on Monday in an extraordinary memorial session.
The Scottish Parliament will also meet on Monday for a special session to pay homage to the memory of Prince Philip. This was announced by the president of parliament, Ken Macintosh: “I decided this afternoon to convene the parliament to express our respect for the Duke of Edinburgh after today’s sad announcement. Prince Philip lived a life dedicated to duty and public service and his support for this institution was evident. That’s why I made the decision, to be able to take the time to stop, remember and express our homage to his work. ”
State funerals are not foreseen, according to what “the customs and the same will” of the deceased, a free spirit respectful of the forms as well as notoriously refractory to ceremonial pomp, makes known the palace: evoking solemn but private funerals in the chapel of St George, adjacent to Windsor Castle; where around the queen, the heir to the throne Charles, the other children Anna, Andrea and Edoardo, grandchildren, spouses, there will be space for a few selected guests. The TVs and online channels will broadcast the ceremonies that will be behind closed doors, in compliance with anti-Covid regulations and the authorities have issued appeals to citizens to follow them from home.
The world of sport
From football stadiums to cricket pitches, sports facilities in England remained silent for two minutes, black armbands and flags lowered at half mast to commemorate the death of Prince Philip. The royal family and the government have notified sports authorities that events may continue after the death of Queen Elizabeth II’s 99-year-old husband.
The BBC decided not to broadcast an England women’s football match against France from one of its TV channels and Friday’s only Premier League match – Fulham v Wolverhampton in London – was broadcast on a subscription channel of BT Sport. The Duke has held positions in sporting organizations all his life, including that of president of the English Football Association and was president of the International Equestrian Federation for 22 years.
Tregua a Belfast
A Northern Irish “loyalist” group, the Lower North Belfast Concerned Residents, has called for a week to stop the protests that have been raging in Belfast for a week, out of respect for the royal family on the day of Prince Philip’s death. This is what the Ulster press reports. The loyalist groups are, among the Ulster “unionists”, those most closely linked to the British monarchy; but they are also the most angry about how things are going for their country after Brexit. Today the Belfast police ruled out that the Loyalist Communities Council, which represents some loyalist paramilitary groups, is involved in the riots, whose protagonists are mainly very young children. So far, 74 officers have been injured in clashes with demonstrators; of these, 19 last night alone, the seventh consecutive “urban warfare”.
Trump’s homage
Former US President Donald Trump, with his wife Melania, paid tribute to Prince Philip, who died today at the age of 99, reminding him of his “splendid legacy of service, perseverance and patriotism”. “He represented British grace and dignity”, added the Trump spouses, who recalled the role of the Duke of Edinburgh with the Royal Navy in the Allied landing in Sicily in ’43. “Like many of his generation”, the Trumps write in the statement, Filippo “put his life at the forefront in the name of God, of the country, of the values of freedom and self-government that will forever unite America and the United Kingdom” . After recalling how the “monarchy embodies the virtues of the British people”, the Trump added that “no one has done it more than Prince Philip.