Why Londoners needed to say goodbye to Prince Philip
Although the Royal Family asked to respect Covid restrictions and not to go to Buckingham Palace, Londoners needed to pay their respects.
It was nothing less than an act of gentle disobedience. When the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, a member of the Royal Family died, people needed to mourn. He was the steady hand behind the wheel in many of Queen Elizabeth decisions. He was a face that people recognised immediately. The Grandfather of the Nation. And nothing, not even the Covid restrictions could stop Londoners and royalist to go to Buckingham Palace and bid him the last goodbye.
Who are the people bringing flowers to Prince Philip
Pamela, 45 came with her mother to lay down a bouquet of red and yellow roses, a real shot of colour against the grey sky that today is covering Buckingham Palace. The atmosphere couldn’t be more fitted as a background to the half raised jack flag that is quietly shivering over the Palace. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is dead. And the city, along with the whole country, it’s mourning in its own way.
“We just came today to pay our respects. I know they said in the news not to come down, but we just decided to take our chances. We wanted to go to the funeral, but most likely we won’t be allowed to do that, so we thought to just come down and place the flowers today”.
Sue, who lives in London said to her it was the right thing to do.
“Here is the house of the Royals. It’s the same as if you sent flowers to your own family”.
Many people brought their children, although they barely got to know who the Prince was. Edward, who is ex military and father to 3-year-old Rosie, said that the death of the Duke of Edinburgh caught him unprepared.
“I lost my grandfather only a few months ago. So I know this kind of pain… And he is the Country grandfather. So, I came to pay my respects”.
There are people from all paths of life. One guy actually just came to bring a flower on behalf of a friend from Argentina.
“She phoned me and asked me if I could pay her respect to Prince Philip”, he told me.
Some of them even met the Prince, a steady presence in London and UK charities events, like Margaret, who came to lay down some flowers in front of the Palace on Saturday morning. It feels surreal, but this is London. A city that mourns together. The Royal Family are their family. And Philip was their companion, their Granpa. Not always loved, sometimes feared, critizised, but nevertheless respected and admired for all he offered to the Crown.
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