WINDSOR: Gun salutes were fired across Britain on Saturday to mark the death of Prince Philip as tributes flooded in for a man who was a pillar of strength for Queen Elizabeth during her record-breaking reign.
Members of the public laid flowers outside royal residences, paying their respects to the 99-year-old prince, who died on Friday.
On its official Twitter feed, the royal family put up a tribute paid by the queen to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.
“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know,” she said. The queen has been on the throne for 69 years.
The armed forces marked Philip’s death at noon (1100 GMT) with a Death Gun Salute. Artillery units in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Gibraltar, and some navy warships, fired their guns.
Buckingham Palace is expected to announce details of the funeral later on Saturday.
It is likely to be a small, private affair, stripped of the grandeur of traditional royal occasions by COVID-19 restrictions and by the prince’s own dislike of people making a fuss.
Despite a request from the royal family for the public to obey pandemic social distancing rules and avoid visits to its residences, people laid cards and bouquets outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace through the night.
“What a life! Thank you for serving our country,” read one tribute outside Buckingham Palace.
“We’re all weeping with you, Ma’am,” read the front page of the Sun tabloid, while its rival the Daily Mail ran a 144-page tribute to Philip, who died at Windsor Castle.
The death of “her beloved husband,” announced by the queen, robs the 94-year-old monarch of her closest confidante, the one person she could trust and who was free to speak his mind to her. They had been married for 73 years and he would have turned 100 in June.
Messages of condolence have poured in from world leaders.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as Philip was officially known, was credited with helping to modernize the institution and supporting his wife as the monarchy faced repeated crises during her reign.
The tenor bell at London’s Westminster Abbey tolled 99 times, a traditional marking of the death of a royal family member.
Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain were lowered to half-mast and billboard operators replaced adverts with a photo and tribute to the prince.
The BBC canceled programming across all of its television and radio channels on Friday, and aired a special program with interviews with the queen and Philip’s children, including heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles.
Philip “probably wanted to be remembered as an individual in his own right,” said Charles.
“He didn’t suffer fools gladly, so if you said anything that was in any way ambiguous, he would say: ‘Make up your mind!’ Perhaps it made one choose one’s words carefully,” Charles said.
A Greek prince, Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 and broke the news of her father’s death five years later while they were in Kenya, meaning that she was queen at the age of 25.
He went on to play a key role helping the monarchy adapt to a changing world in the post-World War Two period.
“I think he’ll be remembered as a modernizer in many ways, as someone who both inside the palace and outside the palace was a force for change,” Simon Lewis, the queen’s communications secretary from 1998 to 2001, told Reuters.
He said Philip’s loss would be a terrible blow to the queen.
“I think they were the most extraordinary partnership and that’s going to be a huge, huge, gap,” Lewis said. “I think he always saw himself partly as the eyes and the ears of the queen — that’s gone forever.”
Artillery guns fire across UK in solemn tribute to Prince Philip
https://arab.news/mt5s3
Artillery guns fire across UK in solemn tribute to Prince Philip
- On its official Twitter feed, the royal family put up a tribute paid by the queen to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997
- The armed forces marked Philip’s death at noon (1100 GMT) with a Death Gun Salute
Ramadan lights illuminate London’s heart as mayor calls for unity
- A sign reading ‘Happy Ramadan,’ decorated with stars and crescent moons, will be illuminated from sunrise to sunset
- This year, the Muslim fasting month coincides with Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
LONDON: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has switched on the Ramadan lights as British Muslims prepare to welcome the fasting month this week.
“A beautiful celebration of the holy month and a reminder that our city is a beacon of hope, unity, and inclusivity. A city where diversity is a strength, and where everyone is loved and wanted,” Khan wrote on X.
The heart of London’s West End is now illuminated by 30,000 LED bulbs for the fourth consecutive year, celebrating culture, cuisine, and community during the holy month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
Rahima Aziz BEM, a trustee of the charitable Aziz Foundation, told Arab News that organizing the canopy of lights on Coventry Street, near Piccadilly Circus, has expanded every year since 2023.
“And what started as just a simple light installation has become something where you can really experience the spirit of Ramadan and what it has to offer,” she said.
For this year’s program, the Aziz Foundation has organized “Shared Lights,” an interfaith art exhibition in the basement of the Zedwell Hotel, featuring 20 artists from across the UK who explore the values central to Ramadan, including love, peace, generosity, and hope.
The charity has also created an interactive digital map of halal and vegetarian-friendly restaurants, allowing visitors to plan their iftar meals from exclusive set menus and locate nearby prayer spaces and evening activities.
“Many young Muslims will choose to have iftar out with their friends and family, in central London. So, we wanted to provide them with more incentive to really spend and boost the local economy, through freebies and special discounts,” Aziz said.
An estimated 4 million British Muslims live across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, with over 1 million living in London alone, according to the 2021 census. London was the first major European city to adorn its central streets with Ramadan lights, which have become part of the city’s calendar alongside Hanukkah and Diwali.
A sign that reads “Happy Ramadan,” decorated with stars and crescent moons, will be illuminated nightly from 5:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m., and will then change to “Happy Eid” in celebration of Eid Al-Fitr in March. This year, Ramadan coincides with Lent, a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent begins on Feb. 18 and concludes on April 2. If the moon is sighted, Ramadan is expected to start on Feb. 17 and end on March 18.
“Eventually, we’ll get to a time where we’re sharing Ramadan with Christmas, which is just beautiful. Great opportunity for some cross-cultural experiences,” Aziz added.
Ramadan, which follows the lunar Hijri calendar, occurs approximately 10 to 11 days earlier each year in relation to the Gregorian solar calendar. This year, Muslims in London will fast for between 12 and 14 hours daily. Iftar is held around 5:30 p.m. at the beginning of the month and around 6:30 p.m. as the month approaches the end. However, when Ramadan falls in the summer, the fasting period can last nearly 19 hours, and these hours vary across countries and regions within a country.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside the Shahada, a profession of faith, prayer, giving alms, and performing Hajj. Muslims refrain from food, drink, and some activities during daylight for 30 days as a way to reflect on religion, life, and empathize with the poor.
“I grew up in London. I’ve been here most of my life,” Aziz said. “What is really special for me is seeing the curiosity about Ramadan and about Islam increase. Ramadan lights are about making people feel that London is a melting pot of diversity, for everyone.”
