Tributes poured in from Cayman and around the world following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away Friday at Windsor Castle.
Governor Martyn Roper, in a statement Friday afternoon, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear the news of the Duke’s death.
“Prince Philip gave exemplary and loyal service throughout his long life. We join with the Royal Family and everyone around the world in mourning his loss and our thoughts are with Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family at this difficult time,” Roper said in his statement.
The Duke, aged 99, “passed away peacefully,” a Buckingham Palace statement said. He would have been 100 on 10 June. He was married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years and had a military career in which he served during World War II.
Roper said the Duke made a number of visits to Cayman, most recently in 1983 and 1994 with the Queen.
“These visits created deep bonds of friendship between our Islands and the Royal Family. Prince Philip is very fondly remembered and will be greatly missed. He inspired many children on our Islands through the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme,” he added.
Flags have been lowered across the Islands, the governor said, adding that government will provide further guidance, including on condolence books, later Friday.
Premier Alden McLaughlin also shared condolences on behalf of the government.
The Duke first visited in April 1962, he said. He returned on two further occasions.
He said Duke’s awards scheme had a “profound impact” on young Caymanians, thousands of whom benefitted from the initiative.
Residents also shared their own personal encounters and memories with the Prince when he visited local shores.
Andrea Alesea Martinez-Calderon, posting on the Cayman Compass Facebook page, recalled her interaction with the Duke of Edinburgh.
“My Hero! Proud to have conversed with you and touched your hands when you visited to open our Princess Royal Park now destroyed by the LA Building! Rest in Eternal Peace you did a great job in contributing to Her Majesty’s Supreme Rule of Her Empire,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Royal Family’s official website was redesigned to pay homage to the Duke, profiling highlights from his early life, to his military career and later on, his royal ascension.
Prince Philip’s philanthropy
Prince Philip’s charities, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity (DofE) and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, acknowledged the contribution made to the lives of many young people around the world.
“Sixty-five years ago, HRH Prince Philip established The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The DofE has become one of The Duke’s most remarkable achievements and is woven into the fabric of the UK, equipping and empowering young people from all communities to build the skills, confidence, and resilience they need to make the most out of life and make a difference to the world around them,” a statement from the charity said Friday. It also invited beneficiaries to share their personal stories and tributes on its website.
Students here in Cayman also benefitted from the awards.
Katherine Jackson, national chairman of the Cayman Award Programme, in a statement to the Cayman Compass Friday, said, “The Duke of Edinburgh leaves a legacy which continues to inspire millions to discover their infinite potential. He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.”
She said it “was the pleasure of our Award Leaders and participants” to meet HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in Grand Cayman in 1994 at an awards presentation at the Town Hall in George Town.
“We presented him with a decorative Paddle, crafted by Caymanian artist, Bendel Hydes. I also had the pleasure of meeting HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in St. Lucia in 1975 where I received my Gold Award from him, making me the first Gold Award Holder for the Cayman Islands. I also shared much conversation with him at many of our International Forums, and fondly remember saying that we could hold a Gold Adventurous Journey right here in Cayman kayaking through the dykes and across the North Sound,” she said.
Jackson said the Duke’s keen and continued interest in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award was constant throughout the years.
“He encouraged his National Directors and Leaders to strive for the continuation of this valuable programme so that every young person, anywhere, of the appropriate age, would have the potential to gain an Award: mental or physical ability or social circumstance should never be a barrier to a young person taking part. Perhaps this principle of universality is the single most important reason for the Award’s ever-increasing worldwide success,” she added.
Incumbent West Bay West MP McKeeva Bush, in a social media post, also paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.
“We owe him a debt of gratitude for his contribution in empowering the youth through various programs, and being a pioneer of Environmentalism. Undoubtedly, he devoted and dedicated himself and his life to Her Majesty The Queen, most admirably. He has honourably discharged his functions and duties,” Bush said in the post on his Facebook page.
He extended condolences personally, on behalf of the House of Parliament, the constituency of West Bay West and his family.
“It is with profound sadness that I share in the grief in expressing condolences on the passing of His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, whom I had the pleasure of meeting several times.”
He added that, as the longest-serving royal consort in British history, Prince Philip had “phenomenal attributes which made him adaptable and versatile”.
Bodden Town East candidate and former minister Osborne Bodden also extended his condolences when he appeared on the Crosstalk candidates’ debate on Friday.
He said the Duke was “a gentleman in every sense of the word, falling just short of his century at 99 years. I think he lived an exemplary life and certainly one that was very professional down to the end. Our deepest condolences to [The Royal Family],” he said.
International accolades
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a statement Friday, it was with “great sadness” that he received word of the Prince’s passing.
Prince Philip, he said, earned the affection of generations in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth and around the world.
“He was the longest serving consort in history, one of the last surviving people in this country to have served in the second world war at Cape Matapan, where he was mentioned in despatches for bravery and in the invasion of Sicily, where he saved his ship by his quick thinking and from that conflict he took an ethic of service that he applied throughout the unprecedented changes of the post war era,” Johnson said.
He said the Duke was “an environmentalist, and a champion of the natural world long before it was fashionable”.
US President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden, in a statement issued Friday, also paid homage to the Duke saying his legacy “will live on not only through his family, but in all the charitable endeavors he shaped”.
“Over the course of his 99-year life, he saw our world change dramatically and repeatedly. From his service during World War II, to his 73 years alongside the Queen, and his entire life in the public eye – Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family. The impact of his decades of devoted public service is evident in the worthy causes he lifted up as patron, in the environmental efforts he championed, in the members of the Armed Forces that he supported, in the young people he inspired, and so much more,” the statement said.
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