Prince Philip 1921-2021

[antongould]

I take it you mean Her Majesty (tugs long-disappeared forelock)

Almost certainly .......

[oddoneout]

I must keep an eye out for Penny Junor and Gyles Brandreth ... and Jennie Bond .... and Dickie Arbiter .... and Paul Burrell ... und so weiter.
And I can guarantee that tonight's 'Look East' will kick off with something along the lines of 'Tonight, we look at how the death of Prince Philip is going to affect OUR region'
Non-Royal news: My new slippers, which I ordered yesterday and were supposed to be delivered in 3 to 5 days, arrived this lunchtime. I shall never forget where I was and what I was doing when they arrived.

Traffic jams round Sandringham?

[LMcD]

I’m amazed all the main TV stations & radio stations are 100% ‘news special’ till at least midnight

I find it bizarre

(Radio 1 & 2 are boogying on as usual though )

That's good news - I shall be able to listen to Tony Blackburn as usual!

[oddoneout]

I’m amazed all the main TV stations & radio stations are 100% ‘news special’ till at least midnight

I find it bizarre

(Radio 1 & 2 are boogying on as usual though )

Not according to the online schedules - or is that another instance of the online info being inaccurate?

[Ian Thumwood]

I am quite shocked by the out-pouring of grief for the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. I have never understood why quite so many unquestioningly held him in such high esteem and had always considered him to be something of an embarrassment for this country. He was notorious for his "gaffs" which constantly amused readers of newspapers like the Mail and The Express but which should not be excused for being anything other than the racist vitriol they were.

I think that the DoE lived long enough to appreciate his own irrelevance and the accusations of racism that were recently sensationally exposed by the interview with Harry & Meghan are indicative of how accepting the British are of the royal family and slow to judge. The Duke spent his formative years in the milieu of Right Wing politics in the 1930s and at a time was royals and aristocracy thought it acceptable to rub shoulders with fascists. He was a product of his time which, thankfully, has now passed.

I feel sorry for the Queen having lost her partner after such a long time but my sympathy for these people can only go so far. It is staggering to someone to have been a head of state for nearly 70 years and equally staggering to have been so ineffectual and pointless for all of that time. She has achieved a fraction of what someone like Greta Thunberg has done in only a matter of years.

I think that common sense has started to prevail and that more and more people are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant but also increasingly problematic. There has been a lot in the press regarding many of the immediate members of the royal family which is deeply troubling, whether it is Harry, Meghan or Andrew. Unfortunately, our politicians have almost been complicit and even a supposed radical like Jeremy Corbyn's best offer of questioning their relevance is a timid and meek comment about "could do better." I would like to think that, one day, the British people (or even those from our former "colonies") will hold the Windsors to account.

[LMcD]

Traffic jams round Sandringham?

I'm flattered that so many people might be interested in my new slippers.
For the broadcasters, this is an ideal chance to try and 'get it right' before the next big Royal story.
I notice that the BBC News Channel's regular newsreaders have had to make way for Mr Edwards, who alone can be trusted to deal with this news.

[Bryn]

I am quite shocked by the out-pouring of grief for the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. I have never understood why quite so many unquestioningly held him in such high esteem and had always considered him to be something of an embarrassment for this country. He was notorious for his "gaffs" which constantly amused readers of newspapers like the Mail and The Express but which should not be excused for being anything other than the racist vitriol they were.

I think that the DoE lived long enough to appreciate his own irrelevance and the accusations of racism that were recently sensationally exposed by the interview with Harry & Meghan are indicative of how accepting the British are of the royal family and slow to judge. The Duke spent his formative years in the milieu of Right Wing politics in the 1930s and at a time was royals and aristocracy thought it acceptable to rub shoulders with fascists. He was a product of his time which, thankfully, has now passed.

I feel sorry for the Queen having lost her partner after such a long time but my sympathy for these people can only go so far. It is staggering to someone to have been a head of state for nearly 70 years and equally staggering to have been so ineffectual and pointless for all of that time. She has achieved a fraction of what someone like Greta Thunberg has done in only a matter of years.

I think that common sense has started to prevail and that more and more people are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant but also increasingly problematic. There has been a lot in the press regarding many of the immediate members of the royal family which is deeply troubling, whether it is Harry, Meghan or Andrew. Unfortunately, our politicians have almost been complicit and even a supposed radical like Jeremy Corbyn's best offer of questioning their relevance is a timid and meek comment about "could do better." I would like to think that, one day, the British people (or even those from our former "colonies") will hold the Windsors to account.

What is your evidence that the late DoE was the source of racist comments re the Dutchess of Sussex? If he has been definitively exposed as the source, such has passed me by.

[Nick Armstrong]

Not according to the online schedules - or is that another instance of the online info being inaccurate?

I must have looked when 3, 4 & 4extra had been updated but before 1 & 2 were...

[Joseph K]

I would like to think that, one day, the British people (or even those from our former "colonies") will hold the Windsors to account.

[Nick Armstrong]

That's good news - I shall be able to listen to Tony Blackburn as usual!

Bad luck LMcD.... I gave you false hope

[kernelbogey]

I’m amazed all the main TV stations & radio stations are 100% ‘news special’ till at least midnight

I find it bizarre

Agreed. I wonder if this is another example of the BBC toeing an imaginary line to please this flag-wielding Tory government. R3 could very easily have been organised to play solemn music all day.

Running a special on every channel - until 6 a.m.! - is totally over the top.

[oddoneout]

I am quite shocked by the out-pouring of grief for the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. I have never understood why quite so many unquestioningly held him in such high esteem and had always considered him to be something of an embarrassment for this country. He was notorious for his "gaffs" which constantly amused readers of newspapers like the Mail and The Express but which should not be excused for being anything other than the racist vitriol they were.

I think that the DoE lived long enough to appreciate his own irrelevance and the accusations of racism that were recently sensationally exposed by the interview with Harry & Meghan are indicative of how accepting the British are of the royal family and slow to judge. The Duke spent his formative years in the milieu of Right Wing politics in the 1930s and at a time was royals and aristocracy thought it acceptable to rub shoulders with fascists. He was a product of his time which, thankfully, has now passed.

I feel sorry for the Queen having lost her partner after such a long time but my sympathy for these people can only go so far. It is staggering to someone to have been a head of state for nearly 70 years and equally staggering to have been so ineffectual and pointless for all of that time. She has achieved a fraction of what someone like Greta Thunberg has done in only a matter of years.

I think that common sense has started to prevail and that more and more people are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant but also increasingly problematic. There has been a lot in the press regarding many of the immediate members of the royal family which is deeply troubling, whether it is Harry, Meghan or Andrew. Unfortunately, our politicians have almost been complicit and even a supposed radical like Jeremy Corbyn's best offer of questioning their relevance is a timid and meek comment about "could do better." I would like to think that, one day, the British people (or even those from our former "colonies") will hold the Windsors to account.

The excess of emotion is a feature of modern times and isn't necessarily a reflection of the "scale" of the loss in the scheme of things; it also tends to feed off itself, not helped by wall to wall media coverage that keeps things stoked. There may also be a certain element of having to face the reality that the Queen is also closer than many would like to joining him, and all the considerations that brings - King Charles 3rd and (Queen? - I don't think that's an automatic title) Camilla.
In terms of why the population tolerates them perhaps it has to do with a parallel universe that doesn't for the most part impinge directly on peoples' lives. Unlike government the actions of which have immediate and particularly in recent times often highly undesirable effects. In the face of the likes of the £37billion T&T scandal I don't think even the cost of the Monarchy is such a big issue currently. House of Windsor Inc provides a fair bit of employment directly and indirectly and is perceived as an asset for the tourist industry, which looks rather better than contracts handed to cronies to achieve little or nothing of benefit to the average member of the public.

[Joseph K]

What is your evidence that the late DoE was the source of racist comments re the Dutchess of Sussex? If he has been definitively exposed as the source, such has passed me by.

Bryn, you're cavilling. A racist so-and-so is a racist so-and-so, regardless whether they were racist to one particular person.

[eighthobstruction]

I am quite shocked by the out-pouring of grief for the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh. I have never understood why quite so many unquestioningly held him in such high esteem and had always considered him to be something of an embarrassment for this country. He was notorious for his "gaffs" which constantly amused readers of newspapers like the Mail and The Express but which should not be excused for being anything other than the racist vitriol they were.

I think that the DoE lived long enough to appreciate his own irrelevance and the accusations of racism that were recently sensationally exposed by the interview with Harry & Meghan are indicative of how accepting the British are of the royal family and slow to judge. The Duke spent his formative years in the milieu of Right Wing politics in the 1930s and at a time was royals and aristocracy thought it acceptable to rub shoulders with fascists. He was a product of his time which, thankfully, has now passed.

I feel sorry for the Queen having lost her partner after such a long time but my sympathy for these people can only go so far. It is staggering to someone to have been a head of state for nearly 70 years and equally staggering to have been so ineffectual and pointless for all of that time. She has achieved a fraction of what someone like Greta Thunberg has done in only a matter of years.

I think that common sense has started to prevail and that more and more people are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant but also increasingly problematic. There has been a lot in the press regarding many of the immediate members of the royal family which is deeply troubling, whether it is Harry, Meghan or Andrew. Unfortunately, our politicians have almost been complicit and even a supposed radical like Jeremy Corbyn's best offer of questioning their relevance is a timid and meek comment about "could do better." I would like to think that, one day, the British people (or even those from our former "colonies") will hold the Windsors to account.

....you've got a generalisation going on here Ian >>"are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant etc ".....there plenty of this type you have never ever heard of, as well as a few like the Duke of Westminster etc etc that you have.....to me it is the silent ones just outside the photograph that are the problem....ideological problem....and they are going to be power behind throne/state etc for the forthcoming time....and onward....

[Joseph K]

....you've got a generalisation going on here Ian >>"are seeing these privileged people not only as increasingly irrelevant ".....there plenty of this type you have never ever heard of, as well as a few like the Duke of Westminster etc etc that you have.....to me it is the silent ones just outside the photograph that are the problem....ideological problem....and they are going to be power behind throne etc for the forthcoming time....and onward....

They're all irrelevant, an embarrassing feudal throwback.