R.I.P. Prince Philip

A sad day for the Queen, cannot comprehend how difficult it would be to lose someone you have been with for over 70 years.

Being not particularly bothered about the Royal Family and therefore feelings tinged with the faux outpourings of grief and domination of the news cycles we will be bombarded with for the next few weeks.

The beginning of the end of the Elizabethan era, the only constant throughout my whole life, do I care? not sure as the Queen and Prince Philip are something that has always been part of life in Britain like the weather and Coronation Street.

Some people have already started pointing the finger

I am not a Royalist at all. What I take from this, they were deeply in love, they were devoted to each other and a family have lost their father, grandfather and great grandfather too. Very sad.

I honestly don't care about the royals but it's always sad when someone dies and I can imagine it being really hard for anyone losing a spouse after 70+ years of marriage.

What a vile thing to say about someone who had died today. Shame on you. PoL. 

Upon reading today it does seem very odd the two began courting when she was only 13 whilst he was 18, suppose that's a good role model for Andrew!

Joking aside all sympathies are with QE, she's lost a husband and cousin all in one today.

I don't think there's any serious suggestion there was any romantic connection at that age.  It's just when they first met, or at least were at the same event. It's more a reflection on their shared social circle (and having a few relatives in common). Though seeing photos of him in his youth I totally get why the young Princess Elizabeth had the hots for him. 

I wouldn't consider myself a royalist, but I am a pragmatist, and can see the value they bring to the country and I particularly appreciate that the PM of the day has to defer to her. It helps to keep them in their place, which has been more useful with some PMs than others ...

Very few of us will have met Philip, and fewer still would have known him, but for most of us he has been around all of our lives, and it's very human to feel sad about his death, and in many cases we'll relate it to a personal bereavement, or be thinking of how we'd feel if we lost a spouse or parent or grandparent. I have no time for those who see this as an opportunity to sneer. I don't expect universal sycophancy, but IMO it's not about respecting him or even the Queen. It's respecting everyone who is reminded of their own grief.

I'm interested in history, so I'm finding the coverage of his life is fascinating. There were some bits I knew, but plenty of remarkable stuff I was unaware of, or at least never given much thought to. Even the stuff that should have been obvious, such as how he was one of the last remaining WW2 veterans, never mind the stories about how his family had to flee Greece. While it's fair to say that overall his life has been privileged, his family was ripped apart, he was a refugee for a period of time and when he was first associated with the Queen, there were apparently racist comments about him from various 'courtiers' and parts of the media. 

I could do with less (no) Nicholas Witchell, but I have enjoyed the interviews with historians and people involved with the Duke of Edinburgh awards and so on.

So Boris has generously decided not to attend the funeral to allow more family members to attend. Or rather the message from Buck House stated
"Stay the f*** away till you get a decent haircut you Muppet! love Betty Windsor. "

I teared up when they showed his cap and gloves on his carriage. That was a really personal moment.

Most of the music was stunning. The Britten and the Lovelady were real highlights.

It was all brilliantly staged and choreographed. As a country, we do major events with great dignity.

Yes it was very moving and so well done. The beautiful weather and setting made it such a fitting memorial. The scenes of the Queen head bowed in the chapel were very moving.
At least it seemed William and Harry were talking again on the walk back up to the castle afterwards.
The British do put on an event such as this with such dignity and precision. Apparently the Duke himself amended the order of service several times recenly to take into account the pandemic and those circumstances. It really was a fitting tribute.

The images of Her Majesty The Queen circulating of her sat alone, highlight how cruel and insensitive the covid rules are to those grieving the loss of a loved one. She has followed the rules with extreme dignity because god knows if one foot had been placed wrong then the social distancing fanatics would have been all over it. What a horrible time to have to live in the public eye where your every move is scrutinised.