LONDON – Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, has died at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty the Queen has announced that her beloved husband, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has died.
“His Royal Highness died peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
Boris Johnson said he “inspired the lives of countless young people”.
In a speech on Downing Street, the Prime Minister added: “He helped govern the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution that is undoubtedly crucial to balance and happiness in our national life.”
Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was ‘saddened’ by the duke’s death.
She tweeted: “I send my personal and deepest sympathy – and those from the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland – to Her Majesty the Queen and her family.”
The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became queen, and was the longest-serving royal wife in British history.
In March, the Duke of Edinburgh left the hospital after a month’s stay for treatment.
He underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart disease at another hospital in London – St. Bartholomews.
Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Their first son, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was born in 1948 followed by his sister, Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 1950, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, in 1960 and the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in 1964.
Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921.
His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of Hell.
His mother, Princess Alice, was the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
