His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Lord Alderdice Excerpts

Monday 12th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Alderdice (LD)]

My Lords, Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been around as continuity and stability through the whole of my life, and I must confess to feeling a little affected and uncertain about what all this means, not just emotionally but for all of us. I can scarcely appreciate the impact it must have on the members of the Royal Family and on Her Majesty the Queen, and I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. The Queen and the Duke have been there for the whole of my life.

As a young boy, I joined the Boys’ Brigade and that introduced me to the possibility of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Like the noble Baroness the Leader of the House, I progressed through, learning much. The expeditions had a particular impact on me. Returning from the Sperrin mountains with cold Irish rain guttering down the back of my neck and eating cold baked beans out of tin, I learned that there is a profound difference between comfort and satisfaction. Of course, the satisfaction was all the greater because it gave the possibility at the end of going with my parents to Buckingham Palace, which was probably the proudest day of my young life at that time.

All through from then, the Duke had an impact; for example, he visited my community in Northern Ireland more than 50 times, even during difficult and troubled times. For much of that time, he and Her Majesty were, of course, best appreciated by the part of the community that I came from—the Protestant community. But that was to change dramatically in the later part of the peace process, particularly when Her Majesty came to Parliament Buildings, and then with the extraordinary and transformational visit to the Republic of Ireland. And in 2012, there was the profoundly, historically significant handshake with Martin McGuinness. I remind noble Lords of this event because how enormous it was may not always be appreciated. In republican theology, the war is not with northern Protestants but with Britain, and no one represents Britain more than Her Majesty the Queen. The man who shook her hand, Martin McGuinness, was more than any other the representative of not just political but violent republicanism. That handshake meant the end of the war. It meant the end of the war for republicans. The man who was standing beside Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, was a victim, because his uncle, who was in truth more of a father figure to him and who helped to bring the two of them together, had been murdered by the IRA—an IRA led by Martin McGuiness. He did not shake his hand and he was not effusive, but he was there. To me, there is something profoundly significant about the courage, steadfastness and leadership of a man who can do that.

Of course it was not all seriousness in his life. Her Majesty loved having members of what she called the “home team” to entertain diplomats and others at garden parties. I well remember one when I was there as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Duke turned to me and said, “You’re Irish, aren’t you?”. I said, “Yes, sir”. He said, “Have you heard about the two Irishmen who went past the pub without going in for a drink?”. I said, “No, sir, I haven’t”, and he said, “No, I’ve never heard of two Irishmen going past a pub without going in for a drink”. I fell about the place laughing, and Her Majesty looked round—she was standing just beside us—and said just one word: “Philip”. It expressed a degree of remonstrance and indulgence.

He was extraordinary, but he was also a man of great depth, as the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury has said. For him, meaning, faith and commitment in life were truly important. I think for him it was not always just the content of belief but the conduct of life that was crucial: to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. It seems to me that the one who worshiped was a servant king, and that was the transformation the Duke engineered in our monarchy. He and Her Majesty the Queen entered at a time of imperial rule; they leave when the monarchy represents public service. That is what I remember from him, and I will seek not just to celebrate that life but to emulate that legacy.