WINDSOR, England — Gun salutes were fired across Britain on Saturday to mark the death of Prince Philip as tributes flooded in for a man who was a pillar of strength for Queen Elizabeth during her record-breaking reign.
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Members of the public laid flowers outside royal residences, paying their respects to the 99-year-old prince who spent more than seven decades at his wife's side.
On its official Twitter feed, the royal family put up a tribute paid by the queen to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997.
"He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know," she said.
Members of the family have been visiting the grieving monarch at Windsor Castle where Philip died on Friday.
"The queen has been amazing," said a tearful Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, as she left with her husband Prince Edward, the youngest son of Elizabeth and Philip.
The armed forces marked Philip's passing at noon with a Death Gun Salute. Artillery units in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, and Gibraltar, and some navy warships, fired their guns.
Buckingham Palace is expected to announce details of the funeral later on Saturday.
It is likely to be a small, private affair, stripped of the grandeur of traditional royal occasions by COVID-19 restrictions and by the prince's own dislike of people making a fuss.
Despite a request from the royal family for the public to obey pandemic social distancing rules and avoid visits to its residences, people laid cards and bouquets outside Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
"It's not something I've ever done before," said Joanna Reesby, 60, who came to pay her respects at Buckingham Palace. "I brought yellow roses for friendship because I think that's what he exhibited to everyone who came into his world."
'Beloved husband'
The queen, 94, announced the death of "her beloved husband", and that she has lost her closest confidante, the one person she could trust and who was free to speak his mind to her. They had been married for 73 years and he would have turned 100 in June.
Messages of condolence have poured in from world leaders.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as Philip was officially known, was credited with helping to modernize the institution and supporting his wife as the monarchy faced repeated crises during her reign, which has lasted 69 years so far.
The tenor bell at London's Westminster Abbey tolled 99 times, a traditional marking of the death of a royal family member.
Flags at Buckingham Palace and at government buildings across Britain were lowered to half-mast and billboard operators replaced adverts with a photo and tribute to the prince.
The BBC aired a special program with interviews with the queen and Philip's children, including heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles.
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