Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, offered his personal tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh upon learning of his passing today.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen’s husband of 73 years, and the longest-serving consort to a British monarch, died this morning aged 99.
Trudeau took to Twitter praising Prince Philip’s character.
He tweeted: “It was with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh today.
“A man of great purpose and conviction, who was motivated by a sense of duty to others, Prince Philip contributed so much to the social fabric of our country – and the world.”
Trudeau went on to recognize Prince Philip’s military achievements and contributions to charity and royal life on behalf of all Canadians.
He added: “Prince Philip will be remembered as a decorated naval officer, a dedicated philanthropist, and a constant in the life of Queen Elizabeth II.”
The Duke of Edinburgh married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history. He carried out more than 20,000 solo engagements.
A statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
Together they had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
HRH had previously been admitted to hospital on 16 February where he remained for two weeks.
He was then transferred to St Bart’s hospital for treatment for an infection and heart condition after which he was discharged on 16 March in “good spirits” according to sources.
You can read all of SWL’s Prince Philip coverage here.
Featured image credit: Alex Guibord via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license
