His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth Excerpts

Monday 12th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Con) [V]]

My Lords, like others, I proffer my heartfelt condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family on the loss of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He was a unique, pivotal figure who helped to modernise the monarchy—often with refreshing informality, as we have heard—while supporting Her Majesty the Queen in her constitutional role.

I had the great privilege of meeting the Duke on several occasions. The lasting impressions that he left on me were an overriding sense of public duty and a strong personal devotion to the Queen. As others have said, his approach was simply to get on with the job with enthusiasm and vitality. He was a man of great faith and, as we have heard, was the longest-serving royal consort by some distance, thus helping to provide continuity and stability.

In Wales, he was known for his commitment, dignity and support of the monarch. As the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, just reminded us, he showed massive sensitivity at the time of Aberfan, which is still talked about with approval and warmth. More recently, with the development of the Senedd—formerly the Assembly —and on the jubilee tours, his great contributions were of energy, enthusiasm and support. We have heard of his lasting, superb contribution of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which, as the noble Lord, Lord Boateng, reminded us, has transformed the lives of millions around the globe.

His was truly a life well lived. It is a loss for all of us but, of course, today and for the days ahead, our special thoughts are with Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family for their personal and profound loss.