‘Deep sorrow’, ‘A Life of Duty’ and ‘Her Rock’: How the British Press reacted to news of Prince Philip’s death
- Ten of Britain’s top selling national newspapers dedicate their front pages to the Duke of Edinburgh today
- Prince Philip passed away peacefully, aged 99, yesterday at Windsor Castle, to the ‘deep sorrow’ of the Queen
- Britain’s papers reflect the loss to the Royal Family but also to country – which lost its longest serving consort
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Britain’s biggest national newspapers today mark the death of Prince Philip with front page tributes across the board.
Reflecting the strength of warm feeling towards a man who dedicated much of his life to public service, ten of the UK’s top selling national newspapers dedicated their front pages to the Duke of Edinburgh, who died yesterday at the age of 99.
The Queen was last night grieving the shattering loss of her ‘beloved husband’ of 73 years, who passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle yesterday morning.
As tributes poured in from around the world, Buckingham Palace’s focus was on the Royal Family’s aching personal bereavement. ‘They are a family in mourning,’ one official said last night.
And Britain’s national papers today reflect that loss, not only to Her Majesty and to the royal family, but to the nation as a whole – following the death of its longest serving consort.
Today MailOnline looks at how news of Prince Philip’s death has been covered across Britain’s biggest national newspapers.
The Daily Mail
The Daily Mail leads with a striking image of the Prince and the Queen in full royal attire. The image is accompanied the words ‘Farewell my beloved’ – a touching tribute from the Queen within whom the Duke was married to for 73 years.
The edition consists of 144 pages – the most in the Daily Mail’s 124-year history.
Daily Mirror
The Mirror leads with a similar line – ‘Goodbye my beloved’ – as it too pays tribute with a picture of Prince Philip and the Queen together.
The headline is accompanied by the sub-heading: ‘Prince Philip 1921-2021’.
The Sun
The Sun fades to black and white for its special front page – accompanied by a picture of Prince Philip and the headline: ‘We ‘re all weeping with you, Ma’am.’
It also carries on its front page the official statement from Buckingham Palace, as well as a previous quote from the Queen about her husband being a ‘constant strength and guide.’
The Guardian
The Guardian also dedicates much of its front page to Prince Philip, with a large black and white image of the Duke of Edinburgh under the headline: ‘Prince Philip: 1921-2021’.
It follows with the sub-heading: ‘Tributes paid after Buckingham Palace announces of the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s ‘steadfast’ supporter’.
The Daily Express
The Daily Express leads its 25 pages of coverage with a large picture of the Duke and the headline ‘Deep Sorrow’, as it ‘joins Her Majesty in mourning the loss of an extraordinary man’.
The Daily Star
The Daily Star leads with the headline ‘Her Rock’ as it uses a from behind image of the Duke as he doffs his hat.
‘He was the man who made Lillibet laugh… and the Rock who stood by her side for 75 years. Together they knew what duty really means,’ the Daily Star writes on its front page.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph dedicates its front page to a smiling image of the Duke in his uniform on a black background.
The headline simply says: ‘HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021)’.
The Times
Likewise the Times uses a similar style with the headline: ‘The Duke of Edinburgh – 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021’.
The headline is printed over a large picture of a mischievous-looking Prince Philip as he rides on a bike polo stick in hand.
i Weekend
In a similar style to the Daily Star, the i Weekend leads with a front-facing picture of the Duke of Edinburgh as he doffs his hat.
It leads with the headline: ‘1921-2021: A life of duty’. It also features four bullet points, including the Queen’s ‘deep sorrow’ at the death of her ‘beloved husband’.
The paper carries reports and analysis of the news on pages 3-21.
FT Weekend
The Financial Times, in its traditional style, carries a large picture of the Duke at the top of its paper, followed by hard-hitting stories below.
The picture includes the headline: ‘Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021’. It also features a quote from the Buckingham Palace announcement, which reads: ‘It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband.’