MEMBERS of Parliament in Westminster will today pay tribute to the late Prince Philip, beginning with a statement from the Prime Minister at 2.30pm.
After Boris Johnson speaks, there will be around eight hours of further contributions from other MPs, with the House of Commons due to close at 11pm, according to the event calendar on its website.
The House of Lords will also meet to pay tribute to the former Duke of Edinburgh “and agree a Humble Address of condolence to Her Majesty The Queen”.
The unelected house will meet at 1pm and open with a statement from Tory life peer Natalie Evans, known as Baroness Evans of Bowes Park.
The Lords will also talk until 11pm, allowing 10 hours for their business to be concluded.
The Westminster Parliament had not been due to return from recess until Tuesday, April 13, but it has been recalled a day early for these proceedings.
READ MORE: BBC removes Prince Philip form on website as complaints hit peak
Holyrood has also been recalled today for just the sixth time in its history. It will sit for around 25 minutes, allowing each of the five party leaders to speak in tribute to the Queen's husband.
It is not yet known what Johnson will say when he addresses parliament. He will move a motion entitled: “Death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (Motion for an Address).”
In the Lords, Evans will “move that a Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty”.
The address will say: “We, Your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to convey to Your Majesty the heartfelt sympathy of this House on the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“Prince Philip gave selfless public service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for over seventy years. He will be remembered for his distinguished naval service in the Second World War and, following marriage to Your Majesty, for his energy and commitment across so many areas of national life, including conservation, science and technology, design, sport and your armed forces.
READ MORE: Scottish Parliament recalled to mark the death of Prince Philip
“His major achievement in creating the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has transformed the lives of millions of young people around the world. Above all his role at the side of Your Majesty, supporting your life of service as our Sovereign and encouraging the work of your family, has been a steadfast presence for us all.
“We assure Your Majesty that his memory will be held dear by those who knew him and honoured in the history of our country. Our prayers join with those of the entire nation for His Royal Highness, and for Your Majesty and all the Royal Family at this sad time of loss and sorrow."
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, issued a statement saying that Prince Philip’s “was a long life that saw so much dedication to duty”.
It concludes: “Today we must pause to honour him and to offer our sincerest thanks for the Prince’s devout faithfulness to our country – and all the nations shall miss him greatly.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel