Thousands gathered at Buckingham Palace yesterday to pay their respects to the Duke of Edinburgh, leaving flowers that were, by early afternoon, packed three bunches deep in front of black-shrouded barriers.
The mood in the sunshine was not sombre as children placed their drawings, tulips and daffodils and parents proudly snapped them with smartphones or read other people’s tributes.
“I am 73 and can’t imagine him not being around,” one card, addressed to the Queen and her family, said. “But as well as sorrow you must all be so proud of him.”
Cyclists slowed to take in the scene, and those who had travelled specially spoke to strangers of their admiration for the Queen’s consort and their feeling that the monarchy had lost a true one-off and part of its colour and character. Some described the late duke in the present tense as if his death had not yet hit home.
Sarah Uwaoma, 26, and her partner, William MacFarlane, 25, both entrepreneurs, brought a friend’s young son.
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“It’s quite a humbling feeling because the prince was married to the Queen for over 70 years . . . I just feel like Philip was very much his own person,” she said. “There are the amazing Duke of Edinburgh awards, his work on the environment and climate change, and he encouraged young people to change their life situations.”
She said the duke’s personality was “fun”, he was “very much a go-getter” and that, when he was a glamorous young prince, “everyone fancied him”.
She added: “I’m Nigerian, and there were racist things and he was quite controversial at times. However, I came to lay flowers, paid my respects.”
Hazel Englander, a writer, came with her friend, Gerry, who brought flowers. Englander said: “I liked his authenticity. I liked that he wasn’t living in the world that we live in, in the sense that he was before PC.
“He probably didn’t have a malicious or mean bone in his body when he said these things that now stand out. He was from an authentic era, where he said things from the heart that weren’t always great.”
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Gerry brought tulips with a card in which she quoted Horatio from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.” She said: “I admired Prince Philip. He was out of his own mould, true to himself, fearless . . . a real gentleman.
“It was so sad when he died. When I heard I cried and everybody around me did too — and you realised suddenly what a rare person he was.”
She said that she respected the Queen and Princess Royal. But added: “I’m afraid the younger royals have disappointed me — I don’t like their wokeness.”
Toby Aston, a 23-year-old Londoner in public relations, and his fiancée, Samantha Smith, 24, a teacher, brought George Smith, their labrador, as they paid their respects with Samantha’s mother, Michelle Smith, 48, and stepfather David Hunter, 45, from South Wales, and Samantha’s niece, Ruby Lee.
Aston said: “He never had an unblemished career, but I think the work he did definitely outweighs any of the mishaps and comments he may have made . . . We really came [to London] for tourist reasons initially but while we’re at the palace it seems fair enough to pay respects to Prince Philip. It’s always sad to hear the news, but he had been in and out of hospital, so it wasn’t a shock.”
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Stewart Pearce, 43, and his wife, Alicia, 37, from East Dulwich, southeast London, brought their daughters Cora, three, and Florence, five, clutching bunches of daffodils and homemade cards.
Pearce, a service delivery manager, said: “He had a really good part to play in reforming the royals in a lot of ways. I think the way he supported the Queen has been admirable and I just think there was something eminently likeable about him.”
Florence had made her card that morning, drawing pictures of the Queen and duke in bright colours. She wrote in it: Dear Queen, I’m sorry for your loss. Love Florence.”
Snatches of numerous languages and accents could be heard. Ben and Suzy Chun, American expats in Greenwich, southeast London, brought their British-born daughter, Teri, two, to lay flowers. Chun, 35, said: “In the US they are almost treated as celebrities but it’s heartwarming to see how people are gathering to pay tribute.”
