Britain’s royal family has released a montage of images in memory of Prince Philip, set to a poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage
By The Associated Press
April 17, 2021, 9:23 AM
• 3 min read
Events and reaction marking Prince Philip's funeral:
WINDSOR, England — Britain’s royal family has released a montage of images in memory of Prince Philip, set to a poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage.
“Patriarchs -- An Elegy” remembers Philip as a member of a generation who “fought ingenious wars, finagled triumphs at sea with flaming decoy boats, and side-stepped torpedoes” -- references to his wartime naval service.
Armitage, whose job is to write poems for significant national occasions, salutes those “husbands to duty … Great-grandfathers from birth, in time they became both inner core and outer case in a family heirloom of nesting dolls.”
The royal family released a recording of Armitage reading the poem, accompanied by pictures of Prince Philip through the decades, form infancy to old age, ahead of his funeral at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
Philip died on April 9 at age 99.
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Prince Philip will be remembered as a man of “courage, fortitude and faith” on Saturday, at a funeral that salutes both his service in the Royal Navy and his support for Queen Elizabeth II over three quarters of a century.
More coverage:
— Philip will be laid to rest at Windsor Castle
— From Russia to Britain, Philip’s royal ties spanned Europe
— AP's obituary of the Duke of Edinburgh
— Follow AP’s full coverage of Prince Philip's death at https://apnews.com/hub/prince-philip
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TATOI, Greece — Prince Philip’s life spanned a century of European history. His family ties were just as broad, with Britain’s longest-serving consort linked by blood and marriage to most of the continent’s royal houses.
“If Queen Victoria is considered the grandmother of Europe, Prince Philip is the uncle of Europe,” said Vassilis Koutsavlis, president of the Tatoi Royal Estate Friends Association.
It’s in that densely wooded estate at the foot of a mountain north of Athens that Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, lies buried. The Tatoi estate housed the royal summer residence and the royal cemetery, dotted with the tombs of Philip’s relatives: kings and queens of Greece, princes and princesses of Denmark, grand duchesses of Russia and even a distant relative of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Philip died on April 9 at age 99 and his funeral is on Saturday at Windsor Castle.
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PORT STANLEY, Falkland Islands — A memorial service was held in the capital of the Falkland Islands on Friday to mark the passing of Prince Philip following his death last week at the age of 99.
Members of the local government, military officials and residents attended the event which took place in Christ Church cathedral in the center of Port Stanley.
Many present held their own personal memories of the Duke of Edinburgh who visited the British overseas territory in the South Atlantic in 1957 and again in 1991.
Various photographs of the two visits were on display in the church, one showing a smiling Philip alongside locals set beside a single-lit candle.
Islanders in attendance paid testament to his irascible nature, recounting stories of his visit, which included winning a horse race and a fishing trip with residents.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will take place at Windsor Castle in London on Saturday.
