Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away on April 9, 2021.

He was 99.

Singapore leaders send condolences

On April 10, President Halimah Yacob has written to Queen Elizabeth II, while Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote to Prince Charles and UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson to convey their condolences on the passing of Prince Philip.

In her letter to Queen Elizabeth II, President Halimah recalled the "generosity and warmth" that the late Prince Philip had displayed to Singapore's former President Tony Tan during Singapore's first-ever State Visit to the UK in 2014.

Here's her letter in full:

Letter from President Halimah Yacob to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Your Majesty,

My husband and I were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of your beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. On behalf of the people of Singapore, I extend my condolences to Your Majesty and the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Duke of Edinburgh was an exemplary role model for the British people, and served the United Kingdom selflessly and with honour for over six decades. Singapore will always fondly remember the State Visit by Your Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh to Singapore in 2006, as well as the generosity and warmth His Royal Highness had shown to our former President Dr Tony Tan, during Singapore’s first-ever State Visit to the United Kingdom in 2014.

The many decades of public service of His Royal Highness will continue to inspire successive generations of young people, and live on in the memories of many around the world.

Our thoughts are with Your Majesty and the Royal Family during this time of mourning.

Yours sincerely

HALIMAH YACOB

PM Lee: Prince Philip's contributions a "lasting legacy"

On behalf of the government of Singapore, PM Lee said in a letter to UK's Prime Minister that the late Prince Philip's contributions to the Commonwealth and the furthering of close relations between our countries are part of his "lasting legacy".

PM Lee recounted his warm memories of his many visits, and noted that his visits regularly featured tours to one of Singapore's nature and wildlife reserves and educational institutions.

Here's the letter in full:

Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Dear Prime Minister Johnson,

On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I extend to you and your Government my deep condolences on the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Throughout his life, the Duke of Edinburgh devoted himself to public service in support of the Crown and Government. With a steady resolve to uplift livelihoods, he brought forth many initiatives over the years, which continue to benefit the people of the United Kingdom as well as the larger Commonwealth family. His unwavering support of Her Majesty The Queen in fulfilling her role as Head of the Commonwealth was evident in his multiple pioneering efforts. These include his project to empower the youth of the Commonwealth, through ground-breaking initiatives such as the Commonwealth Studies Conferences which enabled them to acquire the skills, self-confidence and resourcefulness to meet the challenges of the future. It is a testament to his foresight that these initiatives continue to support social progress for people across the Commonwealth to this day.

We have warm memories of the Duke of Edinburgh’s many visits to Singapore, both accompanying Her Majesty The Queen and in his capacity as a member of the Royal Family. His visits regularly featured tours to one of our nature and wildlife reserves and educational institutions. It reflected his lifelong support for environment and education causes. We recall his gracious opening of the Singapore Polytechnic, one of our oldest post-secondary institutions, during his first visit in 1959.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s contributions to the Commonwealth and the furthering of close relations between our countries are part of his lasting legacy. He will be missed. Our thoughts are with you, your Government and the people of the United Kingdom as you mourn the loss of a public figure who was much loved and respected by all of us.

Yours sincerely,

LEE HSIEN LOONG

In his letter to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Prince Philip, PM Lee said that the Duke of Edinburgh made education an utmost priority, recalling his past visits to the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Sports School in his previous visits to Singapore.

Here's the letter in full:

Letter from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

Your Royal Highness,

I was saddened to learn of the passing of your father, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

As we mourn his passing, we remember the significant and remarkable life that he had led, dedicated first and foremost to service to the United Kingdom and its people, as well as to the peoples of the Commonwealth and the world at large. He had an indomitable spirit, fighting for peace and justice in the Second World War in his early years, and later steadfastly pursuing environmental causes, where he was well ahead of the times, and taking a close interest in sports and education. His selfless devotion to service has contributed much to advance and uplift the livelihoods of people in the United Kingdom and within the Commonwealth. We will also remember him for his steadfast support of Her Majesty The Queen.

One of his distinguished achievements was the creation of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme over six decades ago. The awards nurtured and empowered young people to gain the skills, confidence and resilience to become exceptional individuals who can make a difference and contribute to society. The scheme also inspired Singapore’s own National Youth Achievement Award programme, which was launched in 1992.

It was clear that the Duke of Edinburgh made education an utmost priority. He visited the National University of Singapore in 1972, and the United World College of Southeast Asia in 1989. He also met students from the Singapore Sports School during Her Majesty The Queen’s State Visit in 2006, where I had the great pleasure to meet him.

On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I extend to you my deepest condolences and sympathies for this immense loss. He will be remembered and missed.

Yours sincerely,

LEE HSIEN LOONG

No state funeral

According to The New York Times, the funeral will be scaled back and will not be held as a state funeral due to Covid-19.

In a report by BBC, the funeral will take place on April 17 at St George's Chapel which is in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Top image from The Royal Family on Facebook.