- Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died Friday at Windsor Castle. He was 99 years old and had been married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years. The pair had four children, including Prince Charles, who sits next in line for the throne. The royal family announced the duke’s death Friday on Twitter. [NBC News / Rachel Elbaum]
- The duke had been in poor health since the New Year. He spent much of February and March in the hospital, first being treated for an infection and later undergoing heart surgery. He was discharged back to Windsor Castle in mid-March. [CNN / Max Foster and Laura Said-Moorhouse]
- He leaves behind a complicated legacy; some credit him with helping to modernize the monarchy, though he often faced criticism in the press for remarks deemed insensitive or even racist. [NYT / Marilyn Berger]
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled a planned celebratory public pint as pubs reopened Friday after yet another lockdown in Britain. “He took an ethic of service," Johnson said of the duke. "That he applied throughout the unprecedented changes of the post-war era. Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.” [BBC]
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