On Monday, the House of Commons was recalled from its Easter recess to pay tribute to Prince Philip and his extraordinary service to the Queen and the nation. HRH was known to many people in the House who had been exposed to his generosity and good humour over the years and there was a strong sense, as the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said, that his passing “marks the end of an era.”
The Prime Minister paid his respects, saying that “by his unstinting service to The Queen, the Commonwealth, the armed forces, the environment, to millions of people young and not so young around the world, and to countless other causes, he gave us and he gives us all a model of selflessness, and of putting others before ourselves.”
A remarkable number of MPs – including Sir Keir Starmer – recalled their “D of E” (Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme) experiences. It was through this work that the Prince had a direct impact on the lives of millions of British people. Over the years, thousands upon thousands of local youngsters have benefited from this wonderful initiative.
In an era of sometimes stuffy political correctness, Prince Philip was able to remind us that there remain virtues of having and poking gentle fun. As the Prime Minister said, “the world did not hold it against him … On the contrary, they overwhelmingly understood that he was trying to break the ice, to get things moving, to get people laughing and forget their nerves.” This the Duke always did – and did with aplomb.
Standing in the Commons I thought of all the characters and dramas that have unfolded in that place since the Prince’s birth in 1921 – Lloyd George, the Great Depression, the three Baldwin administrations, the rise of Labour, the War, Churchill, the Blitz and the bombing of the Chamber, the Cold War, Attlee and the welfare state, Suez, the end of Empire, the EEC, Thatcherism, Blair and Iraq, the Financial Crisis, Brexit, Covid. All of it – a century of Britain – seemed to flicker through the room as we stood in our minute’s silence.
I suspect His Royal Highness would not have approved of such mawkishness. As Sir Nicholas Soames recalls, his advice, given when they first met over 60 years ago, stands good today: “Stop whining and just get on with it.”
Image courtesy of royal.uk - available here.
