Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, aged 99, has died

[DorkingMain]

It very much sums up the strange dystopian and controlled nation we have become in the last 12 months, you must be informed of his death before attempting to do anything normal such as buy a train ticket. Just look at their Twitter feed where they give the following as a twice daily update.

This is the real "virtue signalling" - everyone and everything having to tell you how sad they feel about something.

Like others here I'm indifferent to the royals - obviously the death of an elderly man who meant a lot to many people is a sad thing, but I find the media shutdown completely ridiculous. At the age of 99 and after many long periods of illness, his death is not some sort of horrendous shock. I dread to think what will happen when the Queen passes.

 

[birchesgreen]

I'm not especially that sad about it though it will feel strange as the era that has defined Britain all my life begins to fade away. I appreciate the history, Simon Schama on CNN yesterday was very interesting on the Duke but the overt display from companies and organisations I think is ridiculous.

 

[bussikuski179]

And also in Scandinavia, although the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat has an (unintentionally) not very flattering drawing of him at the top of its site.

Slightly off topic, but there was an article about how he saved a forest very close to where I live apparently, because there are some rare birds there. Also secondly Finland is not in Scandinavia, Nordic yes, Scandinavian no.

 

[Gloster]

Slightly off topic, but there was an article about how he saved a forest very close to where I live apparently, because there are some rare birds there. Also secondly Finland is not in Scandinavia, Nordic yes, Scandinavian no.

Not wanting to go off topic, but Scandinavia is loosely used in Britain for all five countries in the Nordisk Råd. Writing Nordic might have appeared a bit pedantic in an off the cuff comment.

 

[bussikuski179]

Not wanting to go off topic, but Scandinavia is loosely used in Britain for all five countries in the Nordisk Råd. Writing Nordic might have appeared a bit pedantic in an off the cuff comment.

True, you can’t expect everyone to know exactly which countries are in what area and which aren’t.

 

[Gloster]

As usual the BBC can’t win. While many are criticising them for clearing the schedules, others are having a go at them for making it easier to complain.

 

[37424]

I know what you mean. As if life isn't hard enough right now.

Sorry for your loss.

Thanks

As usual the BBC can’t win. While many are criticising them for clearing the schedules, others are having a go at them for making it easier to complain.

That is true to a large degree, and of course the right wing newspapers and hard Brexiteers/right wingers etc want rid of the BBC.

 

[Harvey B]

Some of the things I saw on twitter yesterday about Prince Phillip were Vile, Saddening, Rude and Disgusting. Not only that but they were also Immoral. Either people should have said something nice and respectful about Prince Phillip or they should have said nothing at all

 

[SteveM70]

Some of the things I saw on twitter yesterday about Prince Phillip were Vile, Saddening, Rude and Disgusting. Not only that but they were also Immoral. Either people should have said something nice and respectful about Prince Phillip or they should have said nothing at all

You could say the same about some of the things he said at public engagements, which are now proudly listed in an article on the BBC website.

 

[Scotrail314209]

S

So I go to the WMR website and get this big pop-up, what further information and updates do I need? I'm here to buy tickets not read the news!

View attachment 94140

Scotrail have the same.

 

[Journeyman]

You could say the same about some of the things he said at public engagements, which are now proudly listed in an article on the BBC website.

Yup. The guy was notorious for being extremely politically incorrect, and frequently made openly racist comments.

 

[AndrewE]

It's totally OTT. I predict that Private Eye's next front page will be "Old Man Dies!"
However (while not a Monarchist, or republican either) I do recognise that he was a major influencer (WWF, D of E's Award, Acadamy of Engineering and lots more) and the back-room supporter of the queen who herself seems to have done a lot of good.
Maybe the media caricatured him. Maybe he played up to it. They are saying he had quite a sense of humour...

 

[DynamicSpirit]

You could say the same about some of the things he said at public engagements, which are now proudly listed in an article on the BBC website.

The problem is there's no context in the way those tend to be reported. Certainly some of what he's said, if you read it in isolation feels uncomfortable. But then if you're joking around and bantering with someone, a lot of what you say to them may well look very odd and insulting if it was just quoted out of context as if it was serious. As an example, check this out about the 'do you still throw spears at each other?' one

Prince Philip's famous spear throwing remark not racist, says Indigenous performer​

Do you still throw spears at each other?"

It is the now-infamous question that gaffe-prone Prince Philip asked Indigenous performers during a royal visit to far north Queensland with the Queen in 2002.

The remark sent heads shaking and jaws dropping around the country, but now one of the performers wants the ageing Duke of Edinburgh to know he did not think it was racist.

"[Prince Philip and the Queen] were coming down the [cable car] and we were putting on a special performance," Warren Clements recalled.

"We had royal fever so we said 'Let's go out the back and throw some boomerangs and spears and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of them as they come down'.

"They waved and we were showing off. I think Prince Philip took that in and that's why he said it.

"He's been taken out of context."

 

[SteveM70]

The problem is there's no context in the way those tend to be reported. Certainly some of what he's said, if you read it in isolation feels uncomfortable. But then if you're joking around and bantering with someone, a lot of what you say to them may well look very odd and insulting if it was just quoted out of context as if it was serious.

There are quite a few people quoted in that article who were on the receiving end of his comments. Some said they weren’t offended, some said they were. That’s context.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

There are quite a few people quoted in that article who were on the receiving end of his comments. Some said they weren’t offended, some said they were. That’s context.

That's a bit misleading. The article does not as far as I can see quote anyone who says that they personally were offended by something Prince Philip said to them. The article does quote historian Jane Connors as saying that there were some (unspecified) people who took things the Prince said to them as racist. But the problem is that there's nothing that that proves he was ever deliberately trying to be racist - as opposed to having a tendency to make banter-type jokes that sometimes fell flat or got misinterpreted.

On the other hand, in the case of some of the Twitter comments currently going around that you compared Prince Philip's remarks to - the context is very clear - you can just look up the conversation histories on Twitter - and it's clear that a lot of people are simply expressing views of hatred or celebrating that a man has died. So I don't think you can directly compare the two.

 

[paulmch]

As for why the forum logo has changed colour, I have absolutely no idea. What the death of an old man has to do with this forum and why such a gesture should be made on it is beyond me. This is not a current affairs or news website. Will it start changing colour to reflect other news items too?

Obviously RF has to do its bit towards the national virtue signalling effort!

 

[C J Snarzell]

Is next Saturday (17th), going to be similar to Saturday 6th September 1997 when businesses remained closed until after lunchtime as a mark of respect?

CJ

 

[Intermodal]

Is next Saturday (17th), going to be similar to Saturday 6th September 1997 when businesses remained closed until after lunchtime as a mark of respect?

CJ

They've been closed for months, they can just backdate the respect.

 

[C J Snarzell]

They've been closed for months, they can just backdate the respect.

I speak to my barber occasionally on WhatsApp - he reopens tomorrow (Monday 12th) after being closed since Christmas. He has said he has no plans to close his business again next Saturday.

CJ

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Some of the quips made by the Duke are interesting, some of them, one does not quite understand at once, intriguing . Perhaps someone could do a thesis analysing them.

 

[Ianno87]

I speak to my barber occasionally on WhatsApp - he reopens tomorrow (Monday 12th) after being closed since Christmas. He has said he has no plans to close his business again next Saturday.

CJ

Business who've been closed for months would be mad to pass up on the trade they'll get next weekend.

 

[SteveM70]

Is next Saturday (17th), going to be similar to Saturday 6th September 1997 when businesses remained closed until after lunchtime as a mark of respect?

CJ

His funeral is (I think) at 3pm whereas her’s was from memory in the morning. If the “mark of respect” closing happens surely it’ll be all day or closing early at lunchtime?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The funeral ceremony (at Westminster Abbey) on Saturday 6th September 1997 was at 11.00 a.m.

Later, that same day, there was the burial at Althorp in Northamptonshire, but that wasn't broadcast IIRC, just aerial shots of the flower-strewn funeral vehicle(s) conveying the deceased's body from central London.

 

[DunsBus]

The funeral ceremony (at Westminster Abbey) on Saturday 6th September 1997 was at 11.00 a.m.

Later, that same day, there was the burial at Althorp in Northamptonshire, but that wasn't broadcast IIRC, just aerial shots of the flower-strewn funeral vehicle(s) conveying the deceased's body from central London.

You're right. The procession from central London was covered, but not the burial itself. The last that anyone watching saw of the cortege was it entering through Althorp's gates.

 

[AlterEgo]

I’m relieved we won’t have to relive the ghastly spectacle of Diana’s funeral. I was 11 at the time and thought it bizarre even then.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wonder whether any of the various "major" sporting fixtures scheduled for next Saturday (17th April 2021) will be postponed/re-arranged?

 

[DunsBus]

I’m relieved we won’t have to relive the ghastly spectacle of Diana’s funeral. I was 11 at the time and thought it bizarre even then.

I remember my dad saying at the time that everyone had been so busy practising for the Queen Mother's death, so when Diana died first it caught everyone out. Scrapping everything that Sunday, in hindsight, was rather OTT.

 

[PauloDavesi]

I beleive that EPL & EFL games will be rescheduled to avoid the time of the funeral. I'd also expect local cricket leagues to adjust their start times to allow the national silence at 3pm to be observed.

 

[86246]

Wonder whether any of the various "major" sporting fixtures scheduled for next Saturday (17th April 2021) will be postponed/re-arranged?

The EFL have already announced that the matches with a 3pm kick off will be rescheduled. Could still be on the Saturday with an earlier kick off.

 

[brad465]

Wonder whether any of the various "major" sporting fixtures scheduled for next Saturday (17th April 2021) will be postponed/re-arranged?

With regards to the Premier League this season they have spread the games out widely to increase TV coverage while no fans can attend, so only 1-2 games would need postponing next weekend if they had to avoid just the day of the funeral. Lower Leagues though would need to alter more.