The world of sport paid its respects on Friday following the death of Prince Philip, aged 99.
The English Football Association were among those to pay tribute, while a two-minute silence was held at cricket matches in England’s county championship and at the Grand National horse racing meeting.
Buckingham Palace announced HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s death on Friday.
“We have sent our deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and our president, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, following the passing of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh,” the FA said on Twitter.
“As a mark of our respect, all flags at @WembleyStadium and St. George’s Park will fly at half-mast.”
Several football clubs paid tributes as did former and current players including Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish and Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
The Premier League is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Her Majesty The Queen, The Royal Family and all those around the world mourning the loss of His Royal Highness. pic.twitter.com/sgKsgcBwFP
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 9, 2021
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho also paid tribute during his prematch news conference on Friday.
“I’m sorry because I just read some sad news about Prince Philip,” Mourinho said. “I would like to express my condolences to the royal family and to be very honest and say I have deep, deep, deep, the utmost respect for the royal family. I believe that is not just this country that it’s going to be sharing these feelings because I am not English and I know that many like myself, we have the utmost respect, so I am sorry to stop your question with this.
“I feel sad for the departure of Prince Philip on a personal basis because I have only positive feelings for the meaning of the family. I feel very sorry. Unfortunately, it is life and we have to keep going.”
Prince Philip was most associated with cricket, as president for two terms of the Lord’s-based Marylebone Cricket Club, which is regarded as the guardian of the laws of the game.
Philip presented the Lord’s Taverners ECB Trophy to the English cricket champions for 43 years until he retired from royal duties in 2017.
The England and Wales Cricket Board remembered him as “a lifelong cricket fan and talented allrounder in his playing days.”
The players and staff of Middlesex and Somerset join the umpires and MCC representatives for a two-minute silence, as the flags atop the Pavilion are seen at half-mast. pic.twitter.com/NIZOPICvg3
— Lord’s Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) April 9, 2021
“His passion for the game we all love was well known and the trophies presented to the men’s and women’s county champions are a tribute to his dedication to our sport,” ECB chairman Ian Watmore said. “We owe him a great debt for his support and passion over many decades.”
Philip was an honorary member of the MCC and of the Jockey Club, which owns racecourses in Britain.
The silent tribute in horse racing was held before the start of the second day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree.
Flags were lowered to half-mast at the racecourse in Liverpool as they were in London at Wembley Stadium, which is English football’s national stadium.
The husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Philip spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in her role.
His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth as a member of the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest-serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century.
He was known for fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in challenging outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising the couple’s four children, including their eldest son, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.
Prince Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle.
