I HAVE written to Her Majesty The Queen to express my deepest sympathies to her following the death of her husband, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. I also made a speech in the House of Commons on Monday evening. If you would like to see either, just visit online: www.chrisloder.co.uk/princephilip

We remember Prince Philip not only as a brave war hero and statesman of singular devotion, but also as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

On Saturday, his funeral will take place at Windsor Castle and we are particularly honoured that the Rifles will be conducting the coffin and the guard of honour. The Rifles, as successor regiment to the Dorsetshire Regiment, is our local regiment and I am so pleased that they are playing.

We were fortunate enough to welcome Prince Philip to West Dorset on three occasions in the recent past: in 1998 he came to Sherborne with the Queen to unveil the Great West window of the Abbey. They visited again in 2012 as part of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee tour. Most recently, in 2016, His Royal Highness visited Dorchester with the Queen and the Prince of Wales to open Queen Mother Square.

Prince Philip was a stalwart of support for The Queen as she performed her state duties. Over her reign she has steered the country through good times and bad, and Prince Philip was by her side through all of it. He gave up a lot for his duty, but never made himself the centre of attention despite being a remarkable man in his own right. He will be greatly missed.

God Save the Queen

Chris Loder

West Dorset MP