World reacts to death of Britain's Prince Philip

LONDON - Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth and a leading figure in the British royal family for almost seven decades, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

Here are reactions from major public figures in Britain and around the world.

UK PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON

"We remember the Duke ... above all for his steadfast support for Her Majesty the Queen, not just as her consort, by her side, every day of her reign, but as her husband, has strength and stay of more than 70 years. And it is to Her Majesty, and her family, that our nation's thoughts must turn today."

"Like the expert carriage driver that he was he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life."

JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

"I join with the rest of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in mourning the loss of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, and give thanks to God for his extraordinary life of dedicated service."

"On the occasions when I met him, I was always struck by his obvious joy at life, his enquiring mind and his ability to communicate to people from every background and walk of life. He was a master at putting people at their ease and making them feel special."

UK OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY LEADER KEIR STARMER

"The United Kingdom has lost an extraordinary public servant in Prince Philip."

"Prince Philip dedicated his life to our country - from a distinguished career in the Royal Navy during the Second World War to his decades of service as the Duke of Edinburgh."

"However, he will be remembered most of all for his extraordinary commitment and devotion to The Queen."

SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER NICOLA STURGEON

"I am saddened by news that the Duke of Edinburgh has died. I send my personal and deepest condolences - and those of @scotgov and the people of Scotland - to Her Majesty The Queen and her family."

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

"He had a distinguished career in the military and was at the forefront of many community service initiatives. May his soul rest in peace."

IRISH PRIME MINISTER MICHEAL MARTIN

"Saddened to hear of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Our thoughts and prayers are with Queen Elizabeth and the people of the United Kingdom at this time."

SINN FEIN LEADER MARY LOU MCDONALD

"Sincere condolences to Queen Elizabeth and family on the death of her husband Prince Phillip. Sympathies to those of a British identity on our island, for whom his death will be felt as a great loss."

FORMER US PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

"Throughout his long and remarkable life, he devoted himself to worthy causes and to others. He represented the United Kingdom with dignity and brought boundless strength and support to the sovereign. Laura and I are fortunate to have enjoyed the charm and wit of his company, and we know how much he will be missed."

FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR

"He will naturally be most recognised as a remarkable and steadfast support to the Queen over so many years. However, he should also be remembered and celebrated in his own right as a man of foresight, determination and courage."

NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN

“Prince Philip will be fondly remembered for the encouragement he gave to so many young New Zealanders through The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award. In over fifty years of The Award in New Zealand, thousands of young people have completed life-changing challenges through the programme.”

KING HARALD OF NORWAY

"Our thoughts are with Queen Elizabeth and the rest of her family. We also send our condolences to the British people."

KING KARL XVI GUSTAF OF SWEDEN

"Prince Philip has been a great friend of our family for many years, a relation which we have deeply valued. His service to his country will remain an inspiration to us all."

-reuters-

Queen Elizabeth back in the saddle as British lockdown eases

LONDON -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth was photographed riding a 14-year-old Fell pony in Windsor Home Park on Sunday as the country eases stringent measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Queen has been living at Windsor Castle, west of London, during the lockdown with her 98-year-old husband Prince Philip.

From there, she has issued a number of rallying messages to the nation, including televised addresses that have been a rarity during her 68-year reign.

-reuters-

Official photo released to mark 70th wedding anniversary of Britain's queen

LONDON - Buckingham Palace issued a new photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip on Saturday to mark their upcoming 70th wedding anniversary.

The couple married at London's Westminster Abbey on Nov. 20, 1947, just two years after the end of World War Two, in a lavish ceremony attended by statesmen and royalty from around the world.

The portrait, taken earlier this month, showed the queen wearing the same dress which she chose for a service of thanksgiving to mark their diamond wedding anniversary held at the Abbey where they were married.

She is also wearing a "Scarab" brooch in yellow gold, carved ruby and diamond which Philip gave her in 1966.

Elizabeth has been married for far longer than any other royal, and the newly-released picture showed the couple framed by Thomas Gainsborough's 1781 portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte, who were married for 57 years - the second longest royal marriage.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Prince Andrew steps up denial of underage sex

LONDON/NEW YORK - Buckingham Palace stepped up its denial that Prince Andrew had sex with an underage girl introduced to him by a disgraced U.S. financier, and named the alleged victim whose anonymity was preserved in court documents filed last week.

Buckingham Palace had already denied on Friday allegations made in Florida court documents by the woman, who said she was forced as a minor by financier Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with several people, including Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth.

Another of those named by the woman, well-known American attorney Alan Dershowitz, said he has assembled a team of "eminent" lawyers to fight the sexual abuse allegations made against him in last week's filing in Florida federal court.

The allegations come from a woman who is named in the filing as Jane Doe #3, but Buckingham Palace referred to her as Virginia Roberts. Several British newspapers have also named the woman.

Dershowitz represented Epstein against criminal sex abuse charges, which ended in a plea deal six years ago under which Epstein served jail time for state charges but avoided federal prosecution. Last week's filing was made in a long-running civil litigation brought against the U.S. government over the plea agreement by women who say they were abused by Epstein.

On Sunday, Buckingham Palace issued its second denial of wrong-doing by Prince Andrew. "It is emphatically denied that HRH The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. The allegations made are false and without any foundation," a palace spokesman said.

Dershowitz told Reuters that his team of attorneys included Thomas Scott, a former Florida U.S. attorney and former federal judge, and Kendall Coffey, another former Florida U.S. Attorney, as well as lawyers in Boston, New York and London whom he declined to name.

He said the allegations against him were false, and that the attorneys who filed them - Florida attorney Brad Edwards and University of Utah law professor Paul Cassell - knew they were false.

Dershowitz, a Harvard University professor emeritus, said he planned to file complaints with the attorney disciplinary boards of Florida and Utah seeking to have them disbarred. Knowingly making false court filings is grounds for disbarment in both states.

Dershowitz also said he would file a motion to join in the Florida civil action, by making a sworn statement in Florida federal court denying the charges.

He said the allegations against him were especially unfair because they were made in a court case where he was not a party, so that he had no chance to respond directly.

"It's like Josef K in Kafka," he said. "The difference is that Josef K lost. In the end I will prevail. They took on the wrong innocent person."

Edwards and Cassell said in a joint statement that they looked forward to Dershowitz's filing.

"It is not unethical to provide legal representation to the victim of international sex trafficking ring and to believe in the allegations such a victim makes - even when those allegations are made against powerful people," they said.

Buckingham Palace also denied on Sunday that the Queen had met Virginia Roberts.

The woman's father, Sky Roberts, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying that his daughter had been introduced to the Queen while visiting London with Epstein.

When asked about this, a palace spokesman said: "there is nothing to suggest that this claim is true. We have no record of such a meeting."

On Saturday, some British newspapers published an old photograph of Prince Andrew holding the waist of the woman, then aged 17. The age of consent is 16 in Britain, but it is 18 in much of the United States.

People making a criminal complaint of rape in England have a legal right to anonymity unless they choose to waive it.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Queen Elizabeth II tours 'Game of Thrones' set

BELFAST - Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip visited the set of hit TV show "Game of Thrones" in Northern Ireland Tuesday -- receiving a replica of the throne to crown her visit.

During the set tour in Belfast, the monarch was presented with a miniature Iron Throne, the massive black, snarled mesh of melted swords fought over by rival families in the global hit HBO series.

She also met actors from the show including Maisie Williams, 17, who plays Arya Stark and 18-year-old Sophie Turner, who stars as her sister Sansa.

It is not known whether the Queen is a "Game of Thrones" fan but her youngest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie are reportedly avid viewers.

Scenes from the series are filmed in the city's Titanic Quarter, named after the doomed liner which was built in Belfast before sinking on its maiden voyage in 1912.

"Game of Thrones" has brought investment worth £82 million plus 900 full-time and 5,700 part-time jobs to Belfast, whose economy is now growing after decades of unrest in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com