Prince Philip was a remarkable public figure, says Ramaphosa

President Ramaphosa on Friday expressed his deep condolences to Queen Elizabeth II on the passing of her husband, the 99-year-old Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Philip’s passing – 9 April

Prince Ramaphosa message to Queen Elizabeth

Ramaphosa said – “on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa” – the Duke of Edinburgh “was a remarkable public figure who lived an extraordinary life”.

He added that Prince Philip would be “fondly remembered by many people around the world”. Queen Elizabeth’s husband was the longest-serving consort in the history of the British monarchy.

The 99-year-old Prince Philip passed away on Friday, 9 April 2021. According to sources, Prince Phillip died peacefully at home in Windsor.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry pay tribute

The Royal couple – who stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020 – paid tribute to the late Prince Philp on the Archewell website on Friday, 9 April.

A section of the website reads: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021 Thank you for all your service…you will be greatly missed.”

The verdict is still out on whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who is highly pregnant, will attend Prince Philip’s funeral in the United Kingdom. The couple currently resides in the United States.

However, a source close to the royal family told The Daily Mail that Prince Harry will absolutely do his utmost to get back to the UK and be with his family. 

Now read: Will Prince Harry and Meghan return to the UK for Prince Philip’s funeral?

Fox News links Prince Philip’s death to Meghan Markle

Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade linked Meghan Markle’s “damning interview” with Oprah Winfrey to the Duke’s death, who was in hospital for heart surgery and treatment for infection at the time.

Meghan claimed that an unnamed member of the royal family expressed concern over how dark baby Archie’s might be, given Meghan’s heritage.

Now, according to Kilmeade, Prince Phillip was “enraged after the interview and the fallout from the interview with Oprah Winfrey, so here he is trying to recover and he’s hit with that”. Read more here.