His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

James Cartlidge Excerpts

Monday 12th April 2021 Commons Chamber

[James Cartlidge (South Suffolk) (Con)]

It is a real pleasure to follow the great speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Huw Merriman); only he would get the Transport Committee in on a day like this, as its Chair. It is a great honour to be called to speak. While I did not have that great privilege of meeting the Duke of Edinburgh, we share an important experience—the raising of four children, particularly that quad of three sons and a daughter.

I wonder how the generation represented by my six-year-old twins will remember the Duke of Edinburgh in the decades ahead. I am absolutely confident that he will be remembered as fondly in the future as today, for the simple reason that his single greatest attribute is timeless—public service. As my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), our former Prime Minister, said so perfectly, this was a man of extraordinary qualities and skills, who could have achieved almost anything in what we might call a private capacity, yet he made the choice to sacrifice all that opportunity for duty—service to the Queen and, ultimately, the nation. For that, I offer profound thanks.

On behalf of my constituents, I offer my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the royal family. I just hope that they draw some comfort from the fine speeches we have heard from all parts of the Chamber today. May he rest in peace.