Britons issue glowing tributes to Prince Philip after his death is announced

Britons today recounted their experiences of meeting Prince Philip as they paid tribute to him after his death was announced. 

The Duke of Edinburgh spent his final days at Windsor Castle with his wife after a 28-night stay in hospital having been admitted in mid-February for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition.

Her Majesty announced her husband’s death at midday as the Union Flag was lowered to half-mast outside Buckingham Palace and on public buildings across the UK and Commonwealth.

Reacting to the momentous news on Twitter, devastated Britons who met the Prince issued glowing tributes. 

A disabled woman told how the Duke made a ‘wonderful remark’ about how high her wheelchair was and ‘how much he loved that I was of equal height’ when she met him in 2016.

Another, who met Philip after completing the Duke of Edinburgh Award in 2012, glowingly said how he was ‘lovely, good-humoured and genuinely interested in the people he met.’ 

A third spoke of his ‘exemplary’ service in the Second World War and said they were ‘struck by his genuine interest in young people’ when they met him while at university. 

Broadcaster Emma Webb said ‘no words’ could describe her sadness at Philip’s passing as she wrote: ‘When I met him as a nervous child, he made me laugh and I’ve adored him ever since’.  

Britons today recounted their experiences of meeting Prince Philip as they paid tribute to him after his death was announced. Pictured: Disabled woman Michaela Hollywood, who posted a heartfelt tribute on Twitter 

Tweeting a photo of rugby player Alun Wyn Jones with the Duke, the Principality Stadium wrote: 'Our thoughts go out to the family of HRH Prince Philip following the news of his death'

Tweeting a photo of rugby player Alun Wyn Jones with the Duke, the Principality Stadium wrote: ‘Our thoughts go out to the family of HRH Prince Philip following the news of his death’ 

Broadcaster Emma Webb said she met Philip when she was a 'nervous child' and had 'adored him ever since.'

Broadcaster Emma Webb said she met Philip when she was a ‘nervous child’ and had ‘adored him ever since.’

Announcing Philip’s death earlier today, the Royal Family said in a statement: ‘It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces 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. Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss’.

As with all royal births, marriages and deaths, a notice announcing Philip’s passing was displayed outside Buckingham Palace while mourners are already laying flowers at Windsor Castle, where he is expected to be buried in Frogmore Gardens following a small family service at St George’s Chapel. 

Responding online, Twitter user Michaela Hollywood wrote posted a photo of herself talking to Philip and wrote: 'I was honoured to have met HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the summer of 2016. 'He made a wonderful remark about the height of my wheelchair & how much he loved that I was of equal height'

Responding online, Twitter user Michaela Hollywood wrote posted a photo of herself talking to Philip and wrote: ‘I was honoured to have met HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the summer of 2016. ‘He made a wonderful remark about the height of my wheelchair & how much he loved that I was of equal height’

Alongside a photo of themselves with the Duke, Greg Daly wrote on Twitter: 'I met Prince Philip once, at an event in Canada House. He was very funny. RIP'

Alongside a photo of themselves with the Duke, Greg Daly wrote on Twitter: ‘I met Prince Philip once, at an event in Canada House. He was very funny. RIP’

Responding online, Twitter user Michaela Hollywood wrote posted a photo of herself talking to Philip and wrote: ‘I was honoured to have met HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the summer of 2016. 

‘He made a wonderful remark about the height of my wheelchair & how much he loved that I was of equal height. 

‘My thoughts are with all who knew, loved and now mourn him. May he Rest in Peace.’ 

Tweeting a photo of rugby player Alun Wyn Jones with the Duke, the Principality Stadium wrote: ‘Our thoughts go out to the family of HRH Prince Philip following the news of his death. 

‘The legacy of his public service is a lasting one, not least through his Duke of Edinburgh programme.’

Alongside a photo of themselves with the Duke, Greg Daly wrote on Twitter: ‘I met Prince Philip once, at an event in Canada House. He was very funny. RIP’. 

Charlotte Holloway wrote: 'So sorry to hear about Prince Philip, I was so struck by his genuine interest in young people and their future when I met him at university. 'His wartime service in the Navy was exemplary - what a lifetime of public service worthy of universal respect'

Charlotte Holloway wrote: ‘So sorry to hear about Prince Philip, I was so struck by his genuine interest in young people and their future when I met him at university. ‘His wartime service in the Navy was exemplary – what a lifetime of public service worthy of universal respect’

Author Molly Johnson said: ‘Well I for one am absolutely gutted about Prince Philip and a family has lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather. 

‘Twitter will be vile sadly, but judge as you find and he was great fun when I met him once & I was proud of that. Very sad. 

Jane Johnson said: ‘When I was 26 I was seated next to Prince Philip at a Greenwich Lit Fest lunch for 50th anniversary of The Hobbit. 

‘I told him it was the 2nd time we’d met: he’d given me with my gold DofE 7 years before. “Nonsense,” he twinkled. “I’d have remembered YOU.” A charmer. RIP’

Charlotte Holloway wrote: ‘So sorry to hear about Prince Philip, I was so struck by his genuine interest in young people and their future when I met him at university. 

‘His wartime service in the Navy was exemplary – what a lifetime of public service worthy of universal respect.’  

A state funeral including a flotilla of boats on the Thames to mark Philip’s life looks impossible due to covid restrictions, but the Duke was said to have disliked the idea because he ‘didn’t want the fuss’. Details will emerge in the next few days.

Another Twitter user, Tommy Gilchrist, said they were 'very grateful' to have met the Duke of Edinburgh as they paid tribute to him

Another Twitter user, Tommy Gilchrist, said they were ‘very grateful’ to have met the Duke of Edinburgh as they paid tribute to him

A frail Philip was last seen leaving hospital on March 16 and his death plunges the nation and the Royal Family into mourning, and brings to an end Philip’s lifetime of service to Britain and to Elizabeth, the Queen who adored him since her teens. 

The couple shared their 73rd wedding anniversary last November and he was due to turn 100 on June 10 this year.

Boris Johnson led the tributes and addressed the nation outside No 10 Downing Street shortly after the announcement. 

He said: ‘We give thanks, as a nation and a kingdom, for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’.

He added: ‘Speaking on their golden wedding anniversary, Her Majesty said that our country owed her husband ‘a greater debt than he would ever claim or we shall ever know’ and I am sure that estimate is correct So we mourn today with Her Majesty The Queen.

‘We remember the duke for all of this and above all for his steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen. Not just as her consort, by her side every day of her reign, but as her husband, her ‘strength and stay’, of more than 70 years.

Author Molly Johnson said: 'Well I for one am absolutely gutted about Prince Philip and a family has lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather'

Author Molly Johnson said: ‘Well I for one am absolutely gutted about Prince Philip and a family has lost a beloved husband, father, grandfather’

‘And it is to Her Majesty, and her family, that our nation’s thoughts must turn today. Because they have lost not just a much-loved and highly respected public figure, but a devoted husband and a proud and loving father, grandfather and, in recent years, great-grandfather.’ Mr Johnson also praised his Duke of Edinburgh scheme, which has ‘shaped and inspired the lives of countless young people’.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: ‘As we recover and rebuild after the terrible trial of the coronavirus pandemic, we will need fortitude and a deep sense of commitment to serving others. Throughout his life Prince Philip displayed those qualities in abundance, and I pray that we can take inspiration from his example’.

Her Majesty is now expected to enter an eight-day period of mourning. 

She will not carry out any duties, even in private, while laws will not be given the Royal Assent and affairs of state will also be paused. 

A further period of official Royal Mourning is expected to continue for 30 days.

Officials at Buckingham Palace are now preparing for a royal ceremonial funeral at Windsor Castle in Berkshire in keeping with Philip’s wishes, with a military procession also expected in London – Covid laws permitting.