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Live Reporting

Edited by George Bowden

All times stated are UK

  1. Thank you

    We are ending our live coverage of reaction and developments following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh on Friday 9 April.

    Updates have been brought to you by James Clarke, Sarah Collerton, Doug Faulkner, Sean Fanning, Alexandra Fouché, Francesca Gillett, Emma Harrison, Claire Heald, Paul Kirby, Dulcie Lee, Victoria Lindrea, Richard Morris, Hamish Mackay, Jennifer Meierhans, Becky Morton, Emma Owen, Thomas Poole, David Walker, Holly Wallis, Lucy Webster, Sophie Williams, George Wright, Katie Wright and George Bowden.

  2. Re-cap: Key developments on Saturday

    A woman and child leave flowers outside Windsor Castle

    It has been a day of remembrance and mourning across the UK following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

    • The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to his "dear papa", saying that he and the Royal Family miss him "enormously"
    • Buckingham Palace has announced a national minute's silence will mark the start of the duke's funeral, which will take place next Saturday at 15:00 BST at St George's Chapel, in Windsor
    • Although the guest list for the funeral, which will be Covid compliant, is not yet announced the Duke of Sussex is expected to attend, although his pregnant wife is not attending on medical grounds
    • Another person who will not be present is the prime minister, with Downing Street confirming Boris Johnson will not be attending, with the intention of leaving spaces for as many family members as possible to attend
    • Sporting bodies are in discussions about rearranging fixtures next weekend as a mark of respect, while the world of sport has been giving tributes throughout the day
    • The Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to Prince Philip’s “righteous impatience” and “gift of moral imagination” in an online memorial service
    • The military gave its homage to the duke with a 41-gun salute, with guns fired in Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Hillsborough Castle in County Down, as well as in Gibraltar and on ships at sea
    • Throughout the day wellwishers have placed flowers and messages in tribute to the duke outside royal residences
    • Among those to pay their respects was Anne Yearsley, 82. "He was a great support to the Queen and she obviously adored him," she says

    Video content

    Video caption: Prince Philip: Gun salutes take place in tribute
  3. World leaders pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh

    Royals and world leaders have paid tribute to Prince Philip.

    Among them has been US President Joe Biden who described the Duke of Edinburgh as “a heck of a guy”.

    “I think he’s going to be missed, particularly in the United Kingdom. Ninety-nine years old, he never slowed down at all. Which I admire the devil out of," he added.

    The Pope offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the Queen and her family and paid tribute to the duke’s “devotion to his marriage and family”.

    Prince Philip rides in a carriage with Spain's Queen Letizia
    Image caption: Prince Philip rides in a carriage with Spain's Queen Letizia in London in 2017

    A telegram from King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain sent “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," they told the Queen.

    A 41-gun salute in Canberra
    Image caption: A 41-gun salute is fired to commemorate the death of Prince Philip at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia

    A 41-gun salute took place in Canberra, Australia, on Saturday morning. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Philip “embodied a generation that we will never see again. He was a man who was steadfast, who could be relied upon, always standing by his Queen.

    A ceremony is planned in New Zealand on Sunday.

    You can read more about world leaders' reactions here.

  4. The Papers: Charles's tribute to the duke as funeral details released

    Sunday's papers are dominated by the Prince of Wales' tribute to his father, and many look ahead to the funeral next weekend, further details of which have been released.

    The Sunday Telegraph front page 11 April 2021
    The Sunday Mirror front page 11 April 2021
    The Mail on Sunday front page 11 April 2021
    The Sunday People front page 11 April 2021

    Read more in our review of Sunday's newspapers here.

  5. How a 'human moment' of laughing royal couple was captured

    Phil Coomes

    BBC Picture editor

    The Duke of Edinburgh in uniform next to a smiling Queen

    The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen attended many engagements together throughout their lives.

    Usually they went smoothly but one, which produced a "human moment", was derailed by a swarm of bees.

    Photographer Chris Young, working for the Press Association at the time, was there to capture it on camera.

    As colonel of the regiment, the duke was standing in full uniform, as he prepared to accompany Her Majesty when she emerged.

    But it was at this point that Young became aware of the bees.

    "I got lucky," says Young, recalling the event 18 years later. "I recognised that it was a human moment. She was giggling like a little girl and he was laughing too.

    "I thought the reaction from both of them was pretty unique.

    "Some of the guests were unsure as to whether they should move, but eventually everyone had to beat a retreat."

    A royal beekeeper was swiftly summoned to sort things out.

    Read the story of that picture here.

  6. Election campaigns to resume after duke's death

    A dog outside a polling station

    Election campaigning will resume on Tuesday after a pause following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, councils, police and crime commissioners, and mayoral races in England are being held on 6 May.

    Campaigning will resume a day after tributes are paid to Prince Philip on Monday in the House of Commons, Holyrood and the Senedd.

    It will pause again on Saturday, the day of the duke's funeral.

    Read more here.

  7. Duke's long-standing aide could be only non-royal at funeral

    A picture of Prince Philip among flowers outside Windsor Castle

    The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral will be a family affair attended by close relatives, with a guest list limited to just 30 because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions in England.

    The Queen and Prince Philip's children and grandchildren will gather to pay their respects.

    But Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be present, to allow for as many family members as possible to be there under Covid-19 rules, Downing Street has said.

    The duke's long-standing close aide, his private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell, will be one of the few, and possibly only, non-royals invited to attend the historic occasion inside St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on Saturday.

    Brigadier Miller-Bakewell has been the duke's right hand man for 11 years, taking on the role in 2010.

    Read more about the funeral plans here.

  8. How the Royal Navy shaped the Duke of Edinburgh

    The Duke of Edinburgh's first experience of the Royal Navy was as an 18-month old exile after the Greek military government banished his family.

    Years after that evacuation, as he left his Scottish boarding school, Prince Philip expressed a wish to join the Royal Air Force.

    He was persuaded by his uncle to consider joining the navy and began his budding career.

    Prince Philip
    Image caption: Philip served with distinction during World War Two and was mentioned in dispatches

    Despite his career being cut short by his royal duties, Prince Philip is remembered as an immensely capable officer who drove himself as hard as his men and remained cool in moments of crisis.

    He maintained his love of ships and the sea, which remained a constant source of fascination to him.

    "You're at sea and exposed to the elements in a way you never are ashore.

    "At sea you're in a cockleshell in this enormous expanse of the ocean.

    "So that tends to cut you down in size a bit."

    Read more here.

  9. Historian recounts Prince Philip's turbulent childhood

    Philip and his mother Alice
    Image caption: Princess Alice with Prince Philip, 1924

    When remembering Prince Philip, it is easy to forget that he endured an exceptionally turbulent childhood, historian Philip Eade has told the BBC.

    He was abruptly separated from his parents and four elder sisters at the age of eight, and destined never again to live in the same home as his immediate family. His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was placed into a sanatorium.

    Philip only saw his mother a handful of times during the first two years of her confinement and for five years between the summer of 1932 and the spring of 1937, he never saw or heard from his mother at all.

    It was not in his nature to overstate the effect of all this. "I just had to get on with it," he later told one biographer.

    Read more here

  10. Baftas tribute to Duke as opening night gets under way

    Clara Amfo

    The opening night of the virutal Bafta film awards has begun with a tribute paid to the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Host Clara Amfo praises the work of Prince Philip - a former Bafta president.

    "Before we start tonight we want to say that on behalf of Bafta we are extremely saddened by the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on Friday," she says.

    "The duke was Bafta's very first president over 60 years ago and was the first of a line of royal patronage all the way through to Bafta's current president, his grandson, the Duke of Cambridge.

    "It was Prince Philip and Her Majesty the Queen's support throughout these years that in many ways allowed Bafta, a leading charity in the arts, to continue in difficult times and to be here today in 2021 celebrating another outstanding year of achievement in film."

  11. What would you say to the Queen today?

    As the Queen comes to terms with the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, people in Windsor tell us what they'd say to Her Majesty if they had the chance.

    Video content

    Video caption: Prince Philip: What would you say to the Queen today?
  12. Public reaction 'shows affection for the Queen'

    Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth says the public reaction to the Duke of Edinburgh's death in part reflects "people's affection for the Queen" and the realisation that she is alone.

    "She met Prince Philip in the 1930s, they fell in love in the 1940s, and were married in 1947, which is longer than most people have been alive, and now she is alone, so it's partly a sense of affection for the Queen and her loss," he said.

    He adds: "But this is also someone who has lived 100 years - he has been there all our lives, so people can pause and reflect on a whole century that has gone by."

    He says he thinks people have also stopped to think that Prince Philip "always did what he was asked to do".

    "He was asked to support the Queen and he did, and he turned up in the right uniform on the right day at the right time without fail, for more than 70 years," he says.

    You can read more from Gyles Brandreth here.

  13. Prince Philip's India ties

    Rajini Vaidyanathan

    BBC News

    The Duke of Edinburgh visited India on a number of occasions, and had a close friendship with the royal family in Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan.

    The Maharaja of Jaipur, His Highness, Sawai Padmanabh Singh, says he is saddened by the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh.

    "This is truly the end of an era," he says.

    Maharaja Sawai Mansingh
    Image caption: Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh

    "The Royal House of Jaipur has been close to the Royal Family of Britain for generations. One of my ancestors, the late Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur, was among the few princes from India invited to attend the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902," he writes.

    The Queen and Prince Philip continued the friendship through the generations and were close to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his third wife Maharani Gayatri Devi - a glamorous royal couple, described as India's answer to John and Jackie Kennedy - visiting them all on their trips to India.

    The royals pictured at a tiger hunt

    “When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip made a State visit to India in 1961, they asked to include Jaipur on their itinerary because of their personal equation.”

    So warm was the friendship, Maharani Gayatri Devi sent the duke a box of alfonso mangoes for his birthday every year, those close to the family have said.

    The close ties between the two families extended to the polo ground too: “HRH Prince Philip was a talented polo player, who has played on the Rambagh Polo Ground of Jaipur, just as our family has in England each summer."

    The Maharani of Jaipur presents Prince Philip with the Victoria Cup when his team Windsor Park beat Friar Park at Polo at Windsor Great Park in May 1960
    Image caption: The Maharani presented Prince Philip with the trophy when his polo team Windsor Park won the Victoria Cup in 1960
  14. Expect election campaigning to resume early next week

    Chris Mason

    Political Correspondent

    The writer Walter Bagehot, in 1867, wrote about the "dignified" bit of the state, and the "efficient" part.

    Monarchy and government, in other words.

    The death of one of the most senior members of the former leads to a pause in the public actions of the latter, and opposition parties.

    The cacophony of politics has quietened, for now, at just the point it was getting louder.

    There are elections next month to the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and elections for mayors, councils and police and crime commissioners in England.

    But campaigning was suspended yesterday.

    Tonight, the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Amanda Milling, has said the Tories will resume campaigning on Tuesday morning, but pause again next Saturday, the day of the Duke's funeral.

    A Labour source tells me they are likely to adopt a similar approach.

    The Liberal Democrats say they are likely to restart their campaigning at some point on Monday.

    Other parties are likely to follow a broadly similar plan.

  15. Watch: 'A heck of a guy' - world leaders pay tribute

    World leaders including US President Joe Biden and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Mr Biden called the duke "a heck of a guy", while Ms Ardern highlighted his awards scheme.

    See more tributes here:

    Video content

    Video caption: Prince Philip: Biden, Ardern and other world leaders pay tribute to Duke of Edinburgh
  16. The Queen and Prince Philip's enduring royal romance

    Sarah Campbell

    Royal Correspondent

    Prince Philip and the Queen

    In a marriage that lasted more than seven decades, Prince Philip was the Queen's support in public at significant national moments - and in private the person who knew her best.

    As one private secretary once put it: "Prince Philip is the only man in the world who treats the Queen simply as another human being. He's the only man who can."

    It was a marriage based on love. They chose one another.

    Although it wasn't the first time their paths had crossed, the photographs from their meeting at Dartmouth Naval College in 1939 reveal the beginning of their life together.

    He was the dashing 18-year-old cadet who caught 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth's eye, larking about playing croquet and tennis.

    What started as a teenage crush developed over the years into friendship with letters exchanged and occasional visits during the war years. While he was away serving with the Royal Navy, the young princess kept a picture of him in her room.

    Their grandson Prince William would later sum up their connection, saying: "He makes her laugh because some of the things he says and does and the way he looks at life is obviously slightly different than her, so together they're a great couple."

    Read our full piece.

  17. Sporting bodies in discussions over duke's funeral arrangements

    Crystal Palace and Chelsea players observe a silence for the Duke of Edinburgh

    Sporting bodies are in discussions regarding plans for next Saturday's fixtures following confirmation the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral will take place at Windsor Castle that afternoon.

    A national minute's silence will be observed as the ceremonial royal funeral begins at 15:00 BST.

    The funeral will take place on a busy sporting weekend with the FA Cup semi-finals, a full Football League programme, the Women's Six Nations rugby and the opening day of the World Snooker Championship among the events on the calendar.

    The Football League has announced matches scheduled to begin at 15:00 will be rearranged "as a mark of respect".

    The government says it is up to the discretion of organisers as to whether sport fixtures are rearranged.

    In Scotland, Rangers are due to host Celtic at 16:00, one of six fourth-round ties scheduled in the Scottish Cup, with the Scottish Football Association saying it has entered dialogue with the relevant stakeholders about the matches.

  18. Consorts 'do what they can to alleviate pressure', says Queen Rania

    Queen Rania pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh

    Queen Rania of Jordan has shared her thoughts about what life as a royal consort is like.

    She describes the Duke of Edinburgh as a “constant anchor” for the Queen and says the Queen might not have been able to “carry on her journey the way she did without him by her side”.

    Queen Rania married her husband, now King Abdullah of Jordan, in 1993 and he became king in 1999.

    Speaking in a pre-recorded interview with ITV News, she says the role of a consort is “defined as you go along, based on how and where you can make a difference, where you are needed and where your passions lie”.

    “Being married to someone who is under so much pressure means you have to do whatever you can to try and alleviate some of that pressure. Even if that’s by being a distraction,” she says.

    "The wellbeing of your spouse eventually has an impact on how well they can carry out their duties."

    Queen Rania adds there "must have been times when it wasn't easy for him".

  19. In pictures: Flowers left outside the UK's palaces

    People around the UK have been finding a way to mark the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Outside Buckingham Palace, a steady stream of people have been queuing to leave flowers.

    People gather outside Buckingham Palace a day after the passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in London, on 10 April 2021

    In Windsor, hundreds of people have left bunches of flowers outside the castle.

    People lay flowers outside Windsor Castle, a day after the passing of Britain's Prince Philip, in Windsor, on 10 April 2021

    A smaller number has been left outside Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

    Gayle Cameron, with dog Morlich, lays flowers at the gates of Balmoral Castle in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, following the announcement of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021

    And drivers of the iconic London black cab have lined up on The Mall, the road which leads to Buckingham Palace.

    Black London taxi cabs line The Mall near Buckingham Palace, London, to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, on 9 April 2021

    The UK government has urged the public not to gather because of the pandemic, while the Royal Family has asked people to consider making a donation to a charity instead of flowers, and is encouraging the public to use an online book of condolence.

  20. Analysis: Why the prime minister won't attend the funeral

    Chris Mason

    Political Correspondent

    Downing Street has announced the Prime Minister will not attend the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral next Saturday - as we reported a few minutes ago.

    In a statement, a Number 10 spokesman says: “The Prime Minister has throughout wanted to act in accordance with what is best for the Royal household, and so to allow for as many family members as possible will not be attending the funeral on Saturday”.

    My understanding is the protocol around this is those who would be expected to attend such a funeral is drawn up well in advance, and in normal times that would include the prime minister.

    But given the Covid restrictions, Boris Johnson felt it was appropriate to say he wouldn't be there, to allow someone who knew him better the chance to be there.