HRH Prince Philip 1921-2021
The death of Prince Philip today is a sad moment.
It should hardly come unexpected - after all, he was only two months off his 100th birthday and had recently spent a month in hospital. But it feels somehow like the passing of an age. As a public servant, seeing Operation Forth Bridge launching into action really brought home to me the significance of his passing for our nation. Some parts of the plan have clearly been updated very recently (covid measures); others were just as clearly written a long time ago (guidance on what hats government staff should wear if out on official business during the mourning period).
I was and remain a fan of the Duke - for his pioneering campaigning work as president of the WWF and for his establishing the Duke of Edinburgh award, as much as for his lifetime of public service, modernising the Royal family and being "strength and stay" to HM the Queen for 73 years. Yes, he came out with the occasional inappropriate comment, but there never seemed to be any malice in it and it shouldn't overshadow all the good work he did. The BBC's obituary of him is a very good summary of a remarkable (and at times, contradictory) life in the public eye.
The photos below are taken from the one time I saw the Duke - during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012.
It should hardly come unexpected - after all, he was only two months off his 100th birthday and had recently spent a month in hospital. But it feels somehow like the passing of an age. As a public servant, seeing Operation Forth Bridge launching into action really brought home to me the significance of his passing for our nation. Some parts of the plan have clearly been updated very recently (covid measures); others were just as clearly written a long time ago (guidance on what hats government staff should wear if out on official business during the mourning period).
I was and remain a fan of the Duke - for his pioneering campaigning work as president of the WWF and for his establishing the Duke of Edinburgh award, as much as for his lifetime of public service, modernising the Royal family and being "strength and stay" to HM the Queen for 73 years. Yes, he came out with the occasional inappropriate comment, but there never seemed to be any malice in it and it shouldn't overshadow all the good work he did. The BBC's obituary of him is a very good summary of a remarkable (and at times, contradictory) life in the public eye.
The photos below are taken from the one time I saw the Duke - during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012.
