The UK is observing a national period of mourning as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday 9 April 2021. Even amidst controversy, Prince Harry flew down from the US to stand by his family to bid farewell to his grandfather. The funeral preparations are currently underway, complying with Covid rules, with no public procession or access.
The Duke who always loved to maintain a low profile, left behind strict instructions for his funeral in his final wishes. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the funeral will take place in the afternoon on Saturday 17 April at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, adhering to the current Covid guidelines that will allow just 30 mourners to be present. Therefore, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given up his seat to allow a member of the Royal family to attend in his place.
The Duke who died at the age of 99, was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years and became the longest-serving consort in British history. Even in his 90s, he carried out a busy programme of public engagements, reflecting his own charitable interests. The Duke will be commemorated with a statue on The Mall after the idea received cross-party backing on Saturday night.
Behind every strong leader is a strong community
A statement from Buckingham Palace on 9 April 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."
Prince Andrew said that The Queen, 94, has described the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as leaving “a huge void” in her life. She was at Prince Philip’s bedside when he died, after reportedly promising not to go back to the hospital again.
Although he wanted to be known as a Danish prince, the Duke of Edinburgh was born into the Greek royal family. He never wore a crown himself but was always by the Queen in her public presence, as her “strength and stay” and was regarded as the private head of the family.
British Press unitedly stood by Her Majesty on Saturday in their nationwide tributes to Prince Philip. Despite covid restrictions, people travelled and gathered outside the gates of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, to lay flowers and reflect on Prince Philip's legacy.
India, the jewel in the Crown
India was always considered as ‘jewel in the Crown’ by the British and has ever since held a special place in the post-colonial era. Prince Philip went to India for the first time in 1959, as a part of his world tour and was welcomed by Pundit Nehru. The Royal couple made three visits to India- the first was in 1961, when the tour included visiting Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Agra and Kolkata. He was accompanied by Sir Charles Wheeler, who later became father-in-law of now Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
His second visit was to mark India’s 50th Independence anniversary and the royal couple’s last visit was in 1997. However, the visit took a controversial turn when the British Foreign Secretary made a remark about India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir. The remark was not welcomed by Indian politicians. They also visited Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and laid a wreath on the site at which General Dyer had opened fire at a gathering of Indians in 1919.
Prince Philip will always be remembered for his gaffes, that were labelled as ‘legendary’. Some critics in fact believed they were not really gaffes and often borderline ‘racist’ comments, but supporters preferred to disagree, calling those comments often ‘well intended though imperfectly delivered’.
In fact, while on a royal visit to India, Prince Philip was being followed by photographers and he noticed one of them fall out of a tree.
"I hope he breaks his bloody neck," the Prince had reportedly said.
Among his other gaffes included a joke in 2009 at an Indian-origin entrepreneur during a Buckingham Palace reception for hundreds of successful British Indians. He said, “There's a lot of your family in tonight.”
Commonwealth and Prince Philip
Paying tribute in a heart-felt press statement the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, reminisced about his contribution to the Commonwealth. She said, “His Royal Highness described the Commonwealth Studies Conferences, which he founded in 1956, as “an extraordinary experiment. Past, present and future generations of Commonwealth citizens owe a debt of gratitude to Prince Philip for remaining constant and steadfast in his commitment to the Commonwealth, and his assuredness and vision of its global importance.
“When meeting His Royal Highness, I always found him charming and witty, and he showed real kindness making every effort to put me at ease.”
Prince Philip founded The Duke of Edinburgh's Award in 1956, which is a youth awards programme, that has since expanded to 144 nations. In fact, the International Award for Young People (IAYP) delivers the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in India to offer Cambridge schools new ways to broaden their curriculum.
The Sky News on Saturday reported that a tribe in the remote island nation of Vanuatu who hailed Prince Philip as a god is marking his death with ritual wailing and ceremonial dancing.
Tribute from the British Asian community
Shailesh Vara MP in a speech in the House of Commons on Monday spoke about the success of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme saying that it was perhaps the “most visible” of the Prince’s achievements which had “benefited generations of young people” including some in his constituency.
Mr Vara also recounted a personal memory of meeting with Prince Philip, when they discussed the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda and how he was impressed with the Prince’s attention to detail, saying “here was a Prince who had a real depth of knowledge”.
Following the debate Mr Vara said, “Prince Philip was a towering figure who played a significant role in our nation and the Commonwealth for much of his life. I doubt we shall see the likes of him again and it is fitting that Parliament should pay tribute to his life and achievements.”
Lord Raj Loomba CBE said, “HRH Prince Philip was an extraordinary and a remarkable man. His support and dedication to the Queen as a husband and consort for over seven decades will not be matched. His presence, calm nature, patience for listening and appetite for a jovial sense of humour will be missed…
“Princess Royal has said that she would like to walk in her father’s footsteps, who always thought of helping others. Through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, he helped more than a million youths in over 100 countries to succeed in their lives. I am proud to say that my daughter and two granddaughters are the recipients of this award.
“I had the good fortunate and honour of meeting him at a London First event many years ago. He asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I replied that I was a businessman; however, I also ran my own charity which supported widows and their children around the world. Then, I mentioned that there are over 258 million widows around the world. His quick and spontaneous response was – ‘Have you counted them all?’ I saw his sense of humour first-hand. I was left with immense pleasure after that discussion and meeting with him. It will always stay with me.”
Swamis at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple), London fondly recollected the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit to the Mandir on 23 July 1996. In a statement they said, His Royal Highness was impressed with the devotion, the architecture and the volunteers who had contributed to the making of the Mandir, as well as His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, its founder and creator.
A year later, on 15 October 1997, during a visit to India, the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple complex in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and expressed a wish to meet with His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
When His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj visited the UK later that year, His Holiness heartily accepted an invitation from the Duke of Edinburgh to visit Buckingham Palace. A meeting between His Holiness and His Royal Highness duly took place on 10 November 1997.
Yogvivekdas Swami, Head Swami at Neasden Temple, shared, “On behalf of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj and everyone here at BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha in the United Kingdom, we offer our deepest condolences and prayers to the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. We shared and deeply valued his commitment to interfaith harmony and care for the environment, and our special friendship will serve to further his noble work. His invaluable contribution in bringing religions together will leave a lasting legacy across the world. Our heartfelt prayers are with the Royal Family at this time.”
Board of Trustees & Central Working Committee of Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK (World Council of Hindus) said, “Among Prince Philip’s many achievements through the years has been the consistent encouragement of inter faith dialogue – and in our case, through his high regard, in particular, of the Universal principles of Peace & Fraternity of Hindu Dharma, contributing to the overall development of Britain as a multicultural and diverse tapestry.
“He expressed this to the International Trustee of the World Council of Hindus at a Buckingham Palace luncheon in 1993, highlighting the participation of Her Majesty The Queen’s representative Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Sir William Bulmer at the 10,000 strong Hindu Sangam held in Bradford in 1984, and the participation of the Gurkha Regiment (of which he was the Commander in Chief) in Hindu Marathon at the 120,000 great Hindu gathering called Virat Hindu Sammelan held in Milton Keynes in 1989. His respect for the British Hindus was all too well known.
“We express our great gratitude for the significant contribution of Prince Philip to the development of inter faith understanding and cooperation for the common good: one that reflects in our Universal Hindu Philosophy, is of ever greater importance in our increasingly diverse society and interconnected world.
“Prince Philip leaves a legacy of fortitude, supreme service, and duty to the British Nation, the Commonwealth and Humanity.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 April tweeted, “My thoughts are with the British people and the Royal Family on the passing away of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He had a distinguished career in the military and was at the forefront of many community service initiatives. May his soul rest in peace.”
(Additional reporting by Shefali Saxena)
