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Prince Philip Passed Away

Rest easy, Your Highness. Your work is all done here. We have the watch. :salute:
 
As the barbecue at Connaught Range, following The RCR Centennial Freedom of the City of Ottawa parade and reception at Rideau Hall, wound down late in the evening, a small group of us decided to visit Bare Fax downtown. Prince Philip was looking a tad lonely for a brief period, so we invited him along.

"That's awfully kind of you chaps, but I don't think that my wife would approve".
 
I had the honour of meeting both Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Phillip in 2015 at Canada House.

Prince Phillip (at 93 years old) lived up to his reputation in every way. He had a firm handshake, a very friendly and no nonsense demeanor, and believe it or not looked my wife up and down and made a cheeky comment to her... she loved it! A picture was taken showing said wife absolutely charmed by him, i could dig it up if anyone is interested.

As SeaKingTacco said this is the end of an era.
 
Requiescat in Pace.

Sad to see anyone go, and as others have said, Prince Phillip was a man of stature and important part of the Monarchy. That said, at 99 he had a very good run.
 
A noteworthy passing indeed.

Changes.

Safe home.
 
Prince Philip

I fear for Queen Elizabeth, and how she will deal with this loss. They were together for 70+ years, he was her first and only love, confidant, sounding board, and most importantly, her best and most enduring friend. She is an indomitable woman, but this will truly challenge her.
 
With no Governor General, what is the protocol on who Canada will send?
 
This Southern Pacific island worshipped Prince Philip as a god who left in search of a bride
It is expected that the villagers will begin to worship Prince Charles as Philip's successor
National Post Staff Apr 09, 2021

For decades, villagers living on a remote Southern Pacific island have held a special place in their hearts for Prince Philip.

For about 700 members of the Yaohnanen tribe, he was not merely a royal, but a god, descended from a local ancestral spirit that lived in the mountains of Tanna island, in the nation of Vanuatu.

The prince once visited the island in 1974, as part of a royal tour with the Queen. Islanders rowing the couple ashore, believed the prince was the reincarnation of a “warrior from a long time ago who had come down from the mountains and gone off to England in search of a bride,” former Buckingham Palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter told the New York Post, according to Newsweek.

“The bride is Mrs. Queen, so Philip is the god,” Arbiter explained. “One of the oarsmen taking them ashore was a chap from Tanna called Chief Jack.”

Since then members of the Prince Philip Movement reportedly prayed to framed photos of the prince daily, asking him to bless the banana and yam crops they depended on to survive.

<snip>
 
I don't think they should can send anyone. Solely because of COVID.
Official period of mourning is 8 days, followed by the funeral. Period of isolation for those travelling to the UK is 14 days.

CDLS(L) will be able to send reps. Other than that, unless the UK grants exemptions, it will be a much less attended affair, which is regrettable for a host of reasons; Duke of Endinburgh recipients, his associations with numerous Canadian military regiments, an acknowledgement of his considerable contributions to the Commonwealth, and the process of paying due respect to him.
 
Not bad sailor, by all accounts. And if I could have this as an epitaph, please :)

'He always had a great sense of humour and it's got him into trouble over the years. We understood how to take it and in those days there were no reporters around!'

Prince Philip's war heroics come to light after 60 years​

Old comrade reveals how Duke's quick thinking saved his ship

A remarkable act of heroism by Prince Philip that saved scores of lives during the Second World War has been revealed after 60 years by a grateful fellow veteran.
Harry Hargreaves, now 85, has spoken for the first time of how quick thinking by the future Duke of Edinburgh, then a first lieutenant in the Royal Navy, foiled a Luftwaffe bomber which looked certain to destroy their ship during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.

The story came to light among tens of thousands pouring into a BBCi website called 'People's War', which invites the public to share their experiences. Launched in June, it is now attracting 20 contributions an hour from the surviving 350,000 veterans of the conflict.
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The BBC has invited some of the storytellers, now into their eighties or beyond, to take part in a major series of programmes next year leading up to the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Hargreaves was a yeoman aboard the destroyer HMS Wallace on which Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, had been appointed first lieutenant - second-in-command - at the age of 21. In July 1943, engaged in the Allied landings in Sicily, the ship came under repeated bombardment at dead of night and its crew realised that they would probably lose their lives.

It was then Philip conjured up a plan to throw overboard a wooden raft with smoke floats that would create the illusion of debris ablaze on the water. As he hoped, the German plane was fooled into attacking the raft while the Wallace sailed to safety under cover of darkness.

Hargreaves recalled the terrifying events of that night on the website: 'It was obvious that we were the target for tonight and they would not stop until we had suffered a fatal hit. It was for all the world like being blindfolded and trying to evade an enemy whose only problem was getting his aim right. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that a direct hit was inevitable.

'There was no question but to accept that on the next run or the one after that we had little chance of survival. I had been through so much that the feeling of anger and frustration was as great as the fear I and everyone else felt.

'It was less than five minutes after the aircraft had departed and - if the previous space in time was approximately the same - we had about 20 minutes to come up with something. We couldn't steam far in that time, not even far enough to make the aircraft think we had moved.'

He continued: 'The first lieutenant [Philip] went into hurried conversation with the captain, and the next thing a wooden raft was being put together on deck. Within five minutes they launched a raft over the side - at each end was fastened a smoke float. When it hit the water the smoke floats were activated and billowing clouds of smoke interspersed with small bursts of flame gave a convincing imitation of flaming debris in the water.

'The captain ordered full ahead and we steamed away from the raft for a good five minutes and then he ordered the engines stopped. The tell-tale wake subsided and we lay there quietly in the soft darkness and cursed the stars, or at least I did. Quite some time went by until we heard aircraft engines approaching.

'The sound of the aircraft grew louder until I thought it was directly overhead and I screwed up my shoulders in anticipation of the bombs. The next thing was the scream of the bombs, but at some distance. The ruse had worked and the aircraft was bombing the raft. I suppose he was under the impression that he had hit us in his last attack and was now finishing the job.

'We lay there waiting for him to leave, which he did, and, in view of the solitary attacks so well spaced apart, we were convinced he would not return. It had been marvellously quick thinking, conveyed to a willing team and put into action as if rehearsed.'

Speaking from his home in Westport in Ontario, Canada, Hargreaves told The Observer: 'Prince Philip saved our lives that night. I suppose there might have been a few survivors, but certainly the ship would have been sunk. He was always very courageous and resourceful and thought very quickly. You would say to yourself "What the hell are we going to do now?" and Philip would come up with something.'

Hargreaves, who has published a full account in a book, It Wasn't All Mayhem , maintained contact with Philip and last met him during a royal visit to Canada two years ago. He added: 'He always had a great sense of humour and it's got him into trouble over the years. We understood how to take it and in those days there were no reporters around!'

Philip joined the Navy as a cadet after leaving Gordonstoun School in 1939. In January 1941 he joined the battleship HMS Valiant in Alexandria and was in charge of its searchlight control during the night action off Cape Matapan, for which he was mentioned in dispatches. After serving aboard the Wallace, he was appointed first lieutenant of HMS Whelp, which was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese signed the surrender.

 
With no Governor General, what is the protocol on who Canada will send?

There is probably a protocol book somewhere that list the who's who that do the what what. In the absence of a GG, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court serves as the Administrator of Canada. Even if we did have a backside in the seat at Rideau Hall (and there was a state funeral for HRH), such incumbent would likely not attend. The Governor General represents the Queen in Canada; if the Queen was already at an event overseas then the presence of a GG is superfluous. It would be more in keeping with protocol that the "people of Canada" would be represented by a chosen (elected) official, i.e. the Prime Minister. Probably the closest example is the funeral of HM The Queen Mother. The PM (Chretien) represented Canada, and it seems that the PMs of HM's other realms did likewise with the GGs staying home. In the case of our then GG (Clarkson), she attended and read the eulogy at a commemorative service held in Ottawa.

State funeral: April 9, 2002
Westminster Abbey
London, England

A Canadian delegation led by Prime Minister Jean Chretien attended the funeral. As per the Queen Mother's wishes, her Canadian Regiments and Services were represented at the official funeral ceremonies. Four members from each of the Black Watch, Toronto Scottish, and CFMS participated in the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, and from the Abbey to Windsor Castle following her lying in state. Representatives of the Toronto Scottish joined those of their allied regiment, the London Scottish, to lay a wreath at Clarence House, the Queen Mother's London residence.

Commemorative service: April 9, 2002
Christ Church Cathedral
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The interdenominational service was attended by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson who delivered the eulogy. Flags on the Peace Tower in Ottawa and on federal buildings and establishments across Canada and abroad were flown at half-mast from the announcement of the death until sunset on the day of the funeral April 9, 2002. A proclamation was issued by the Governor General declaring April 9, 2002 a National Day of Mourning.
 
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