Prepared for death. I was watching the sunset. I had very much made peace with all. And then a helicopter i heard a helicopter. And for the first time, british Scientists Use Satellite Images to count the entire global population of the endangered northern royal albatross. Good evening. Welcome to bbc news. Its five oclock our main story. The Duke Of Edinburgh has announced he will stop carrying out public engagements this autumn. Buckingham palace says Prince Philip made the decision with the full support of the queen, who will continue to carry out a full programme of official duties. The Duke Of Edinburgh, who will be 96 next month, is the longest Serving Consort in british history. The Prime Minister said she offered him the countrys deepest gratitude and good wishes. Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchells report contains flash photography. It is an image to which the nation has become accustomed over many decades. The queen and the Duke Of Edinburgh side by side on official business. Today they were at a reception at saint james business. Today they were at a reception at saintjames palace, the duke a few steps behind and there in support. Inside, meeting members of the order of merit, Swapping Stories about hearing aids. And joking about retirement. Never mind standing down, i have trouble standing up, he said. But come the autumn, his attendance at events like this will be the exception. The duke has decided, finally, just a few weeks short of his 96th birthday, it is time frame to step back from public duties. The palace said the decision has not been prompted by any concern about health. And indeed in recent months the of bin has been fulfilling a series of engagements belying his age. Yesterday he was at lords Cricket Ground opening a new stand, meeting young cricketers and cracking a familiarjoke. The worlds most experienced plaque on meyler Plaque Unveiling and much more has been a part of his life for a very much seven decades. Although he has lanced initiatives like his own duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, his most Important Role has been to support his wife, the queen, the longest reigning monarch in british history. He is the longest Serving Consort. A few paces behind her in public but his most most constant and valued supporter. Soon the public role will come to an end. A Palace Statement said a Palace Statement political leaders broke off from campaigning to pay tribute. From his steadfast support for his majesty her majesty the queen, to his inspirational duke of Edinburgh Awards, and his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes, his contribution to our united kingdom, the commonwealth and the wider world will be of huge benefit to us all for years to come. I wish him well in his retirement. I wish him well spending time doing things he wants to do as opposed to being required to attend lots of events, some of way some of which you may find very exciting, some less so. All the best, good luck. He has dedicated his life to Public Service and supporting the queen. I think he has more than earned his retirement. Prince philip, as well as the support he has given the queen and is on Public Service, of course, has done an amazing at a charity work as well. It was six years ago, in a bbc interview to mark his 90th birthday, that the duke indicated he was thinking of slowing down. I reckon ive done my bit. I want to enjoy myself a bit now. With less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say. On top of that the memory is going, i cant remember names. Im just sort of winding down. But nothing much changed that his 90th birthday. He continued with a range of public visits. Those who knew him know him say his contribution has been unparalleled. Later this year he will have been at the queens site for 70 years. 25,000 plus public engagements, more than 800 charities in which he has been actively involved. He has done his bit. The dukes retirement from public duties will mean that other members of the royal family will step up to support the queen. Its likely she will be seen more frequently at major occasions with the Prince Of Wales and the duke of cambridge, all of which underlines the fact that although her husband may be Stepping Back, the queen is not. In the words of buckingham palace, the queen, 91 two weeks ago, will continue to carry out a full programme of official duties. Nicholas witchell, bbc news. The Duke Of Edinburgh is a patron of nearly 800 charities, but hell no longer attend public functions to support them. One of his best known legacies will be his work as chairman of the duke of Edinburgh Awards, which he set up in 1956. Millions of young people across the uk have taken part. Richard lister looks at the impact the duke has had on charities in many countries. Almost as soon as he became part of the royal family, the Duke Of Edinburgh was determined to make his own contribution to british life. While he is most familiar to us at the queens side at some of the biggest moments of her reign, he has also built up a portfolio of causes which he has promoted for decades. Few, if any, of the people taking part in this park run in leeds would even have been born when Prince Philip became the president of the National Playing Fields Association in 1947, a post he held for more than 60 years. It still fights to protect spaces like this for sports and recreation in urban areas. What is so wonderful is that he was really hands on. He would come into the office and give his advice. He was clearly passionate about our cause, which is about protecting green space. His love of the outdoor life led to the scheme which still bears his name, the Duke Of Edinburghs awards, which he created in 1956. To give young people a chance to discover their own abilities for themselves as an introduction to the responsibilities and interests of the grown up world, and incidentally to make new friends and have a great deal of fun and satisfaction in the process. The scheme calls for a combination of physical activity and volunteering, which almost 120,000 young people completed last year alone. In terms of his legacy, the Duke Of Edinburghs awards scheme, which is known around the world for getting young people out there and trying to get them away from the phones and everything they do these days, you know, that is a great legacy. For 15 years, he was the high profile president of the World Wildlife fund, travelling widely to press the case for conservation. We depend on the web of life, we depend on every living thing on this planet, just as much as they depend on us. In latter years, the cause he has been most attached to, according to friends, is the maritime charity trinity house. The former admiral is thought likely to maintain some involvement behind the scenes. And his promotion of the equestrian sport of Carriage Driving is likely to be undiminished, if a little less publicly than before. But he helped write the rules for the sport and has been a majorforce behind it. He has been a good ambassador for eventing, he is approachable, he has always been doing something, involved, and not sort of high and mighty. I think he has done his bit, i think he has been absolutely wonderful, and he has been immaculate in every way. It is sad, but it is not surprising, at 96 you are entitled to retire from royal duties. Although not always high profile, the Duke Of Edinburgh used to carry out at least 250 appointments in a busy year. Those who know him say his impact on british life has been. Absolutely huge, no single person, apart from the queen, had such an impact, and when we talk about him retiring, i do not believe it is a retirement, it is a change of the way he does things. He is stepping out of the compulsory public duties. He will still be interested, he will still know what is going on, who is running it, he will still know their names and say to them, what is keeping you busy . So the next chapter of the Duke Of Edinburghs life begins, but it will be one that plays out less publicly than before. Richard lister, bbc news. Apologies for the sound problems. Joining me now is the historian robert lacey, who has written many books about the royal family. Welcome. Thank you for being with us. Welcome. Thank you for being with us. We know these conversations he was having with the queen and the royalfamily was having with the queen and the royal family have been going was having with the queen and the royalfamily have been going on for many years. We thought he would do it after his 90th birthday. Were you surprised to get this news today . |j was. Surprised to get this news today . was. I wasnt thinking about it very much. You assume he will go on forever. As Nicholas Witchell pointed out, this is not a complete retirement. It is a retirement from all of his personal charities, which we dont know about. He spends a lot of time, and loves to spend a lot of time, with ordinary people, people like you and me. I remember when i was with him on a tour of australia, we wondered what he did every afternoon for two hours. We wondered if he needed to sleep. In fact, he was visiting young people involved in the duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. Talking about how they make a campfires scheme. Talking about how they make a camp fires and that sort of thing. So, that will stop. But we will see him at the cenotaph, im quite sure, this year. We may see him at the opening of parliament. He will support his wife. He will not sit down and watch the telly. He is a very active man. He loves reading. He is very spiritually inquisitive these days. He will keep on going. And i think im big occasions he will still be there with his wife. And he has been with herfor so long, more than six decades, and seen so long, more than six decades, and seen so much. Just how important do you think his role as her supporter has been throughout . Absolutely crucial. They are not a demonstrative couple. But she has made very important speeches on a few cases, talking about how he is her strength and stay. He swore at the coronation to be her legion man in life and limb. That is what he has done all the time, without ever losing his own personality or the sense that he is in charge of his own life and the family. And of course he remains in charge of the family estates. I think he will spend more time down at windsor. That is where the queen now effectively lives most of the time. He has developed that estate. Ribena, for example, have a contract that the duke organised for the Blackcurrant Bushes at the winter estate. That is the sort of thing he will go on doing and be involved in, but making his own choices. He is known the world over, as you can see by the amount of international mediator. And also, of course, for that personality, that sense of humour. People will miss that, while they . Yes. What i like about the sense of humour, his gaffes, that is the sort of thing, rather politically incorrect, that the queen likes. The other thing about his sense of humour is it is him Stepping Back at the same, although this is a grand occasion, i am not a royal, i am this is a grand occasion, i am not a royal, iam not this is a grand occasion, i am not a royal, i am not the important person. For royal, i am not the important person. Foi someone royal, i am not the important person. For someone who is so proud, and in some ways a traditional naval officer, from the very early days, were hearing in the packages, he was green before everybody else. He used to sit facing to say things like, britain has two bullets finger out. We have to become more efficient how we run our businesses. The World Wildlife fund, we take for granted now. He was a pioneer. When we see the princes today talking about the ivory trade and campaigning for the preservation of wildlife, that all comes from their grandfather. Robert lacey, thank you. We have had lots of figures serve today illustrating the huge contribution Prince Philip has made to public life. He met more than 600 overseas trips alongside the queen, he made more than 5000 speeches. Come the autumn, much of that will stop. This is bbc news. The headlines the Duke Of Edinburgh announces hes to retire from all public duties in autumn a decision supported by the queen. Emmanuel macron and Marine Le Pen square off in the final tv debate ahead of the french president ial election. The candidates traded insults for more than two hours, arguing over terrorism, the economy, and Europe A Surfer who was stranded for 32 hours in the irish sea, tells the bbc he had prepared himself for death. And in the sport, the everton manager says he hopes to see his winger, aaron lennon, back in his tea m winger, aaron lennon, back in his team again soon, but that the players well being is the most important thing. Lennon was detained by police on sunday under the Mental Health act and treated for a stress related health act and treated for a stress related illness. Manchester united Managerjose Mourinho says they are now making the Europa League their priority this season. They play celta vigo tonight in the first leg of their semifinal. And england womens cricket captain, Heather Knight, has a Stress Fracture in herfault which Heather Knight, has a Stress Fracture in her fault which should be able to lead the team in the world cup next month. More on those stories at half past five. Now to the united states, where republicans are confident they have enough support to begin to unwind president obamas health reforms. Theyve scheduled a vote in Congress Later today. President trump has promised to scrap obamacare, but his first attempt in march fell flat. We can speak to our correspondent in washington, gary odonoghue. The republican plan would replace subsidies based on income and location with tax credits based on age. It would remove penalties for those who choose not to take out health care coverage, and it would grant health care coverage, and it would gra nt States Health care coverage, and it would grant states the right to get waivers which would allow premiums to be charged for people already sick. In the last hour President Trump has been speaking at a gathering of religious leaders in the white house. He did address the issue of that Health Care Vote in Congress Later. Todayis Congress Later. Today is a very big day. We have a big big vote coming up in a little while. I thought it was very appropriate that it turned out to be you folks. Then i have to deal with those politicians. But they are good. They work very hard and hopefully we will have a wonderful day and a wonderful vote, and we will take care of a lot of people, great, great people in this country, with their health care needs. We hope to be able to do that. We have all fought very hard to be able to do that. That is President Trump. Gary odonoghuejoins me. That is President Trump. Gary odonoghue joins me. Is that is President Trump. Gary odonoghuejoins me. Is he going to win . There is a sort of spring in the step of the Republican Leadership this morning. They are talking openly about having enough votes. They wouldnt do that if it was too close to call at this stage. There are some who are undecided. They have had clear private reassurances. There will be republicans who voted against. All of the 193 democrats are likely to vote against it. It does look like it will go through, third time lucky. Then he has to get it through the senate . Yes, that is a com pletely the senate . Yes, that is a completely different proposition. The senate is closer. 52 republicans, 48 democrats. It only needs a few of those republicans to get jelly legs and needs a few of those republicans to getjelly legs and then you have a problem for the party. Republicans also planning to change the bill. A lot of changes want to be made. It has to be agreed by both houses of congress. It has to be a single text before it can become a law. Some of the changes that may take place in the changes that may take place in the senate may not be all that pleasing to republicans back in the house of representatives. It is a big day, no question about that. The president has a right to be pleased if that happens but it is not the end of it. Of course, this was one of President Trumps key campaign promises, to repeal obamacare . Yes, it was. It has been a key promise of all republicans for the last seven yea rs, all republicans for the last seven years, since obamacare was passed. They hate it. It has become an absolute touchstone of republican ideology. It has been something they railed against from its very inception. They are against its philosophy, its implementation, everything about it. The money it costs, everything. They have promised to do this. They were humiliated last month. The month before last. They had both houses of congress and the white house and they couldnt get it through with their own people. They have bounced back from that, quicker than many of us back from that, quicker than many of us thought. But as i said before, there is a long way to go on this. Passing this today does not, does not make obamaca re passing this today does not, does not make obamacare not law and a more. Many thanks. That vote expected in the next hour. Voters are going to the polls for local and mayoral elections in england, wales and scotland. Nearly 5,000 Council Seats are vacant in 88 councils in scotland and wales, and 34 in england. Some councils will begin counting ballots when polls close at 10 oclock this evening, while others will start tomorrow morning. Results are expected throughout the day tomorrow. And well have full coverage of the results across england, scotland and wales here on bbc news from nine oclock tomorrow morning. Some of the other stories making bbc news. Shares in the high street retailer, next, fell by as much as 7 this morning, after the Company Reported worse than expected sales. It warned profits this year could be up to 14 lower than it forecast just a few months ago, because of what it describes as a challenging trading environment. The number of new cars registered in the uk fell nearly a fifth in april, compared with the same period last year. The society of Motor Manufacturers and traders say demand dropped sharply among both fleet and private buyers, after record sales in march. Registrations of electric and hybrid cars also fell for the first time in nearly four years. Rescuers say a Scallop Diver who was saved after spending 11 hours in the waters off orkney, is very lucky to be alive. Ivan doychev, was spotted by a russian Training Vessel in the early hours of this morning, in the Pentland Firth off burwick. A full scale search, involving three lifeboats and two helicopters, was launched yesterday evening. Mr doychev is said to be in a reasonable condition. France elects its new president this weekend, and the two remaining contenders have traded insults in a final Television Debate. The centrist candidate, Emmanuel Macron, said his far right opponent, Marine Le Pen, could spark civil war with her policies. She accused him of being complacent about islamist extremism. James reynolds was watching. Frances next president sat at this table, but at which end . Emmanuel macron and Marine Le Pen argued over the future of their country. Monsieur macron est le candidat de la mondalisation sauvage. Translation mr macron is the candidate of savage globalisation, uberisation, economic uncertainty, social brutality, of every man for himself. Translation you have shown that youre not the candidate for a balanced, democratic debate. The question is, do the people want your defeatist attitude . You say, globalisation is too hard for us, so is europe, lets shut our borders, leave the euro because others succeed, not us. Millions watched, but not all were impressed. Translation the debate was heated because of that, i didnt watch all of it. The aggression really bothered me. Translation it was a stream of insults from both sides, it wont change much when election day arrives. This was one of the most aggressive debates in recent french history. More than two hours of insults, attacks and accusations made for a memorable confrontation. Now french voters have to pick a side. This morning, Emmanuel Macron told a Radio Station that the debate revealed his opponents true colours. The 39 year old centrist maintains his lead in the polls. In her own postdebate interview, Marine Le Pen insisted that she succeeded in revealing the true macron. Ms le pen has now gone to brittany to begin herfinal days of campaigning. Its a last attempt to narrow the gap with her opponent. James reynolds, bbc news, paris. A surfer who was rescued after spending 32 hours clinging to his board in the irish sea, has said he had prepared himself to die. Speaking exclusively to the bbc, 22 year old Matthew Bryce spoke of his relief at being spotted by the coastguard helicopter, but he said when it first flew over, he thought it had missed him. Our ireland correspondent, chris buckler, has been talking to Matthew Bryce in the ulster hospital in belfast, where he is recovering. I knew my Body Temperature was dropping. Matthew bryce is exhausted. Sunburnt and still recovering from more than 30 hours spent drifting alone in the irish sea. That is probably a yellow surfboard. That is probably a yellow surfboard. That is probably a yellow surfboard. That is the right colour. This picture was taken on Westport Beach in scotland on sunday, and matthew believes it shows him at the start of a days surfing before strong winds and tides pulled him out into the water. The current changes, and i cant do anything and all this time the winds pushing me further and further out. Sorry. He ended up clinging to his surf board in the irish sea throughout sunday night and all of monday, before he was eventually found closer to Northern Ireland than scotland, 13 miles from the beach he left, found just as the sun was setting, and a second night was approaching. I was pretty certain that i was going to die. Before sunset. So i was watching the sun set, i pretty much made peace with all, and then i heard a helicopter. And the helicopter flew, right over, so ijumped off the board, and i lifted the board up, and i started waving the board, in the water, and they flew right over and i thought theyd missed me, and then they turned. And they turned round. And then they saved my life. This is the moment he was rescued from the water, and his family could finally be told he was alive. You have this elation, youre high and then 20 minutes later, you crash back down. You dont know what state hes in, you dont know how unwell he is, and until we got that phone call from matthew, just to hear his voice. The search teams recovered his surfboard. Are you looking forward to being reunited with your surf board, is that the right question . I think well find a good use for it. Maybe a. Maybe as starter fuel. Youre done with surfing . I think so. I cant do that again. That pledge to keep away from the surf is one his family seem determined to make him keep. This is bbc news. Coming up after an acrimonious Television Debate between the two french president ial candidates, well be live in paris to find out what effect it may have on the outcome of sundays election. And as Prince Philip announces hes stepping down from public duties, well speak to his friend, the writer and broadcaster gyles brandreth, and our own security correspondent frank gardner, who knows the duke through his charity work. Time for a look at the weather. Heres jay wynne. Good evening. It has been a lovely day for large parts of the united kingdom. You can see the satellite sequence. Kingdom. You can see the satellite sequence. From the Midlands North words, lots of sunshine. A bit of a breeze, yes. A lot of cloud in the south, but little rain. There will bea south, but little rain. There will be a spot or two in the next few hours over east anglia and the south east. Most places will be dry. Further north, a chilly night. In rural spots in Northern England and rural spots in Northern England and rural scotland, freezing or a couple of degrees below. The cloud moves further south tomorrow. Sunshine in the midlands. Most places stay fine and dry. Plenty of sunshine further north. In western scotland, temperatures get into the bird teams. Quite cool in the north sea coast. 11 or 12 degrees. This is bbc news. The headlines the Duke Of Edinburgh announces hes to retire from all public duties in autumn a decision supported by the queen. Emmanuel macron and Marine Le Pen square off in the final tv debate ahead of the french president ial election. The candidates traded insults for more than two hours, arguing over terrorism, the economy, and europe. Adrift for 32 hours in the irish sea. In an exclusive interview, Rescued Surfer Matthew Bryce tells the bbc that he had prepared for death. And for the first time, british Scientists Use Satellite Images to count the entire global population of the endangered northern royal albatross. Now the sport. Hello. The everton manager, Ronald Koeman says he hopes to see his winger, aaron lennon, back in his squad soon, but only when hes ready, and he says the players well being is paramount. The club will give lennon all their support, after he was detained under the Mental Health act. And koeman has confirmed that theyve had contact with lennon and his family. As you know, that the club mentioned that aaron is in a stress related illness. Its a private question. A private situation, what happened. We try to give him all the support. And that hes coming back as soon as possible. Jose mourinho has taken his Manchester United team to the Atlantic Coast of spain tonight, with winning the Europa League, his main priority this season. They face celta vigo in their semi final first leg, and lifting this trophy would not only mean Champions League football next season, but would see united enter an elite group of teams who have won, all three european trophies, including the now defunct cup winners cup. The only teams to have done this before, are bayern munich, ajax, juventus and chelsea. It is the only competition that Manchester United have never won it and it would be great to close the circle and say that we are a club that have won every single competition in the football world. Thinking about us ascertain, i think it would be a good achievement bash us asa it would be a good achievement bash us as a team. Because of the problems we have had and it would allow us back to the Champions League next season. England womens cricket captain Heather Knight has a Stress Fracture to her left foot but should recover in time for the world cup which starts in just over seven weeks. Knight is expected to be available for englands warm up matches, the first of those is on june 19th against sri lanka. It will be her first world cup as skipper after taking over from charlotte edwards. Englands men start their busy summer tomorrow in bristol, with a one day match against ireland. The two will also play at lords on sunday. The england captain says his side are in good shape as they prepare to host the eight Team Champions trophy next month. The strength and depth we have had for this side has been extremely strong over the last 18 months. I think the squad we selected in the champions trophy reflects that. The guys that have missed out, we could have picked a squad of 18 or 19 that could all take the field. That bodes well for us in the competition. I hope it continues over the next two years as we build toward the world cup. Thats a huge positive. Some rugby league news, the Australianjustin Holbrook is st helens new head coach. Hell replace the club legend Keiron Cunningham who was sacked last month. Holbrookjoins from Sydney Roosters with saints currently lying seventh in the super league. Former saints scrum half sean long will be one of holbrooks assistants. Usain bolt says his legacy will be proving to youngsters that clean athletes can win medals. Bolt will be retiring from the sport after defending his Sprint Titles at the World Championships in london this summer. And speaking to bbc sports steve cram injamaica, he says he wont change his mind about quitting and is more than happy with what he has done for athletics. For me, just a great legacy, know what i mean . To show the kids that anything is possible. You can do it without cheating, you know what i mean . It is one of the biggest things i am happy i can leave in the sport. You can do it without cheating. If you are going to do this, it is going to be hard work and dedication, and a lot of sacrifice. And you can see usain bolt the final chapter on bbc one, this saturday, at 115pm. Thats all the sport for now. You can keep up to date with those stories on the bbc website. And ill have more at 630. More now on our main story. The Duke Of Edinburgh is to stop carrying out public engagements this autumn. The palace says Prince Philip, who will be 96 next month, made the decision with the full support of the queen. Lets talk to the writer and broadcaster gyles brandreth, the author of two royal biographies, and the bbcs security correspondent frank gardner, who knows the prince through his charitable work. You met him just the other day . Tuesday. So it is not retirement on health grounds, and you will not find many 96 year old is looking as sprightly as he does. He walks without the stick, still sparky. He is retiring now in order to have a few years of retirement. The timing is thought through. 70 years since this autumn when he became the consort of the then Princess Elizabeth and then the queen. So after 70 years, i think he feels probably hes done his bit. Done his bit, as he said in one interview a few years ago. Frank, you have met him several times, he is retiring 30 yea rs him several times, he is retiring 30 years after most people would expect to retire. He has set the bar pretty high. His stamina is extraordinary. I was driving past the Palace Of Westminster and he was going past with the queen, they had been to the shard, andl with the queen, they had been to the shard, and i was at a military dinner, later that night, shard, and i was at a military dinner, laterthat night, and shard, and i was at a military dinner, later that night, and this was 1030 that night, he was black tie, jacket, handing out prizes, and he was very relaxed. Enjoying himself in his 90s. The first time i met him, i thought i had bust royal protocol because i was ina had bust royal protocol because i was in a wheelchair and i were standing up in my calipers and Zimmerframe Andl standing up in my calipers and zimmer frame and i held standing up in my calipers and zimmerframe and i held my hand out, and he ignored it. Ithought, have i broken some terrible protocol . He said no, ithought broken some terrible protocol . He said no, i thought if i took your hand you will fall over. Laughter he says it how it is. Did you give but knows that he is the consort and he says when he goes down any Receiving Line he tries to make people laugh. There might be the occasionaljoke people laugh. There might be the occasional joke that people laugh. There might be the occasionaljoke that misfires, but he always does do it with the best of intentions. This week he has a witty fulfilled 11 engagements and over a lifetime it is 25,000 he has already fulfilled. That is a lot of handshakes and he has been involved in 800 different organisations and very hands on. He isa gung organisations and very hands on. He is a gung ho hands on person. The two words that come out of his mouth most frequently, yes, but, he is a lwa ys most frequently, yes, but, he is always challenging. He has chosen to retire now, but i think he might miss some of it, actually, because it has been a lifetime of doing this. A lifetime of duty and i suspect he is now allowing himself to step back so we dont monitor him, but he will pop up. I dont think this is the last we have seen of him, and for the queen, she has this guardian as she has described him as her strength. She will always have in there, but when she is out on her duties, i think she is out on her duties, i think she will miss in she will always have him there. The younger royals will be getting more involved. think he has set the bar pretty high. You only have to look at some of the members who dont work as hard. He set the bar very high indeed. 96. Not many people are still working at 96. It is amazing. He should be all our role models. He keeps going. He and princess and have a competition as to who can have a competition as to who can have the most engagements in the year. Egypt of Edinburgh Award scheme which i did as a boy. The duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. So many charitable works and foundations that hes involved with. And also abroad. I was in Papua New Guinea and people asked about him, this was last year. There are some parts of the world where he is revered, amazingly. In ireland they worship him as if he were a god. And he did not like a demigod when he was young man. Like adonis. Yes. He is twice as loyal as the queen. Royal. Prince philip is royal on both sides of his family, but the queen is only on one. So he sees this as part of the continuity, part of the heritage. His mother attended Queen Victorias Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and so this is continuity for him. He is divided to see the children and grandchildren carrying on the tradition. And at the centre of it, the long marriage, the foundation, really. Somebody once said that love is not necessarily gazing into each others eyes, its looking in the same direction. And i think Prince Philip and the queen have a shared common values or their lives. They are very different people, but they share the same values all their lives. People, but they share the same values all their lives. Thanks for joining values all their lives. Thanks forjoining us. The Duke Of Edinburgh Isa Forjoining us. The Duke Of Edinburgh is a patron of more than 780 charities, as we said. But hell no longer have an active role attending public functions to support them. One of his greatest legacies will be his work as chairman of the duke of Edinburgh Awards which he set up in 1956. The bbc has spoken to the awards Chief Executive Peter Westgarth about what it has been like to work with Prince Philip. Working with the duke is an interesting experience. He is always interested in what were doing. Hes interested in the detail. He can be challenging. But hes always supportive and friendly in his approach to what were doing. He supports us on every occasion that its been possible for him to. He presents just about all of the gold awards. And thats been a magnificent support for us as an organisation and of course hes drawn a lot of people into the organisation. So we will miss that a bit, but we understand why hes reached the point where he feels he needs to step back a bit from that. But were delighted hes going to stay as our patron. Tell us about the influence he has had with the causes that you work with. Hes always had an interest in how young people develop. And that was inspired in him by his headteacher at gordonstoun who asked him to take a look at how they could help young people, to broaden their horizons and their experiences of life in general. And he often calls the d of e a Mini Programme in learning how to live in life. He saw this as a way in which you would develop all kinds of young people in all kinds of circumstances. And what he created was a programme that anybody could do. It was very important that young people didnt feel they had to come and break a world record in order to achieve a duke of Edinburgh Award. They had to beat their personal best, where ever they were starting from. All they had to do was better, to strive for more and strive for better. If they were playing football for sport, then we would be directing them into doing things like volunteering in their local community. Or then doing an expedition which is probably what most people remember the award scheme for. Finally, in terms of remaining as patron, what does that continue to give your organisation . Everyone wants to see the Duke Of Edinburgh at the head of the award, of course. He wontjust passively receive this stuff, he will give us his view on how we are doing in ears interested in this case of what we are doing. You can see on the wall, the badges from school all over the north of england, where all of those schools are involved in running the award scheme and he is keen to see how schools are using the award as pa rt how schools are using the award as part of developing the broader lives of their young people. To the french president ial elections now, and the last two candidates are making their final pitch to voters ahead of sundays poll. The centrist candidate, Emmanuel Macron, is campaigning in toulouse, and today won the endorsement of barack obama. Marine le pen, of the far right Front National, is in brittany. The pair went head to head in a ferocious tv debate last night, and my colleague, christian fraser, was watching in paris. Compulsive viewing. What did jim make of it . I got all the way through it. Did you make of it. We are back in our favourite spot in paris, and many people are talking about that debate last night, did it do anything to shift public opinion. We can find out. Lets talk a little more about how the performance of each candidate was received here with Anne Elisabeth moutet, a paris based columnist for the sunday telegraph. It was a pretty fiery affair. Yes, they had no dignity left by the end of the debate. And the moderators had no dignity left, because they we re had no dignity left, because they were not there. It left a sour taste in the mouth of everyone, because thatis in the mouth of everyone, because that is not how we figured the president ial election would go. There was very few arguments that had to do with actual platforms and there was a great deal of affirmation on both sides that they would solve all the problems. She scored one head against macron to do with islamic terrorism, and he said that she knows nothing about economics. You wonder if she got lost in her notes. She is a good barrister, but shes no economist. Instead of keeping her cool, she behaved the way she would at the end ofa behaved the way she would at the end of a banquet. With her Party Friends and that did not play very well on television. There is a strategy from her on television, not so much to win voters from the left, but to keep them away from him. To keep them voting from Emmanuel Macron. That is true. She wants to remind people what the Front National stands for, and you have a couple of conceptions of france, with open borders and open civilisation, multicultural, everything is up for grabs, and if you miss out is your fault. In her france she says she will protect people, closing the border is because of terrorism and other things, anti immigration, and telling people that you do exist and you can do something, and these rich people who can travel, they feel you are irrelevant. That is a true difference we have seen this in america with trump voters. We have seen america with trump voters. We have seen that in the uk with the brexit folk, as well. Can she win . Not this time. It is a long game for her. I would like to think that she can play a long game, but it is reassuring that i dont think she can. Thats some of the reaction from here in paris, but how are the candidates going down in the rest of europe . Lets speak to tom nuttall from the economist, hejoins me from brussels. Looking at the polls, there is a sign of relief being breathed in brussels at the moment. sign of relief being breathed in brussels at the moment. I think so. You hear words of caution, people we re you hear words of caution, people were burned after the brexit vote, but the polling gap is much larger than what we saw in britain and most people feel it would take a miracle for Emmanuel Macron to lose on sunday and people are relieved about that. It would be a bit remiss if they did not actually looked at the first round result. When you put the candidates together, over half of the French Population Boated for anti europe and antiestablishment candidates. That is right. When you add the far left candidate who regularly took potshots at the European Union in his campaign, you are absolutely right. There is a lot of concern and anger towards europe in france and this is a country that voted down the European Constitution in 2005 and much of that anger is still there. That is why even Emmanuel Macron who wraps himself in the eu fly, he said if he is elected that he would seek significant changes to the way that the eu operates flag. Sol changes to the way that the eu operates flag. So i think he understands that although if he does when he will have read on to power on the back of a very pro europe campaign, there are many things to do when hes in office. Ridden to power. Supposing Marine Le Pen wins this weekend. And we have seen sharks with brexit and donald trump shocks. What would it mean for europe . Some people would say game over, because the European Union, right from the beginning has always been about a concord between france and germany. If you dont have that, you dont have a European Union. What is certainly clear, if she were to win, we would have a different sort of europe. She has promised to hold a referendum on the french European Union membership within six months of taking office and it is very difficult to foresee the eu continuing in anything like its current form if Marine Le Pen would be president. Theres also a question over what she would do with the membership of the euro. No one knows what her policy is on the euro and that has scared french voters, but france is the economy inside the euro and if their membership was questioned of the currency, the future of the currency would be questioned. So the markets would go haywire on monday if she were to win. Very interesting. Thanks for joining us. Im sure you will be watching closely on sunday. We will have a special results programme. Looking last night at the Viewing Figures for this Television Debate. This is the high point of the debate, just 15 Million People watched and that was down 3 million on 2012 and 15 billion down on 15 Million People down on what the Viewing Figures were in the 80s. So more and more people are turning off from this, it would seem. Christian, Thanks Forjoining us. Now, if you have an old five pound note in your pocket, you may want to spend it soon, the paper note, which features the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry on one side, wont be accepted in shops after close of business tomorrow. The Bank Of England says there are still 150 million of them in circulation. Most banks and Building Societies will continue to accept them. More details from our personal finance correspondent, Simon Gompertz his report contains flashing images. The Period Ofjuggling both the old and new £5 notes is coming to an end. The old ones have to go back to the bank. But some at this london market arent prepared for the paper Fiver Ceasing to be legal tender at midnight tomorrow. Are you sure . Absolutely positive. 0k. Do you think a lot of people know . No, i dont think many people know at all. I havent seen it on the news, i havent read it in the paper. So, yeah, its a real surprise. There are millions still out there, so youll probably see some more. Well, listen, theyre not legal tender after friday, so its not good money, is it . People have got used to the paper fiver featuring Elizabeth Fry, launched exactly 15 years ago. Shes now making way for the Winston Churchill plastic fiver. It means until september there wont be a Bank Of England note with a woman on it, other than of course the queen. But the bank says 150 million old fivers remain at large. Thats £750 million worth or three notes for each adult in tills, purses and jam jars. So why the abrupt cut off . The new polymer £5 note featuring sir Winston Churchill has got lots of sort of clever security features. It makes it much more secure. We want the public to have those notes rather than the paper notes with Elizabeth Fry. Setting a clear date of the 5th of may to withdraw the Elizabeth Fry notes means people know exactly which notes they should have and which notes to check and which security features to understand. After friday, you will still be able to take your old £5 notes into your own bank and deposit them or exchange them, but shops wont be accepting them, so youre probably best Offjust Spending them before then. The Bank Of England says itll take paper fivers back for all time, but be warned at the till theyll be rejected. Simon gompertz, bbc news. British scientists have assessed the entire global population of an endangered sea bird, using Satellite Technology. Until now, its been hard to gauge the numbers of the northern royal albatross, which one of the largest of the species. But scientists are now able to use more sharply defined Satellite Images to track them. Our Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle reports. Theyre the Worlds Largest flying birds, but despite being so easy to spot, counting albatrosses is tricky. Most of the Sea Birds Nest on islands which are extremely remote and difficult to access, but now theres a new way to get a tally of the birds from space. Scientists are using a powerful us satellite to zoom in on places like the Chatham Islands in the south pacific. Ultra high res images can map areas down to just 30 centimetres, which mean each albatross appears as a white dot, and researchers simply tot them up. It means we finally have a number for this species the northern royal albatross. The birds have an impressive wing span of about three metres. When not breeding, they are found widely throughout the southern ocean, but they are classed as endangered because of the tiny area in which they can nest. Now, the Satellite Tally has come in at about 3,600 nests. Its less than researchers hoped. Many albatrosses are doing badly. Of the 22 species, 15 are under threat. And they are facing many dangers from the plastics polluting our ocean, to getting caught up in Fishing Lines and invasive species. Its really important for us to know, as conservationists and scientists, to know how these birds are doing, because theyre a threatened group of birds. Overall, the story for albatrosses is quite hopeful. There are quite Simple Solutions to reducing the number being killed at sea, and there are ways to restore their breeding sites as well. So what im hoping in the future, is that these Satellite Images will actually be able to show us we are moving in the right direction for saving the albatross as a whole. The Satellite Technology could transform our understanding of these birds, and scientists hope to extend the study to other albatross nesting sites. Knowing how many birds there are now will help us to track how they fare in the future. Rebecca morelle, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Heres jay wynne. It has been a pretty decent day, with plenty of sunshine across the uk, but not for everyone. Sally was the case in Northern Scotland with plenty of sunshine. Certainly was. But it was like that for eve ryo ne was. But it was like that for everyone because in the southern areas there was a fair amount of cloud. Despite this, it has been drive virtually everywhere. Dry. Sunshine from the Midlands North, and there was the potential for the odd bit of rain in the next few hours. Mainly towards east anglia and the south west of england. Further north, clearer skies and lighter winds and that is a good recipe for a cold night. By dawn tomorrow we are looking at five, six tomorrow we are looking at five, six to graze, degrees, and in rural areas it might be down to freezing. The chilly start, but a bright one. Plenty of sunshine to come. A decent start to another decent day especially on the western side of scotland. Away from the east coast, where there is the keen breeze. Further south, pretty cloudy, where there is the keen breeze. Furthersouth, pretty cloudy, plenty of cloud for the southernmost counties, but really dry everywhere. As we go through the day, fair bit of cloud, but less cloud than today, and more in the way of sunshine for the south and wales. Further north, lovely day. West of scotland will do well once again, temperatures in the upper teens. It is a good deal cooler on the eastern coast. A real range of temperatures. In the evening, patchy rain in the far south west and maybe some rain further north. Plenty of dry whether to be had. The weatherfront doesnt mean much in terms of widespread rainfall, and only the far South West Which as anything significant on saturday. Further north, the best of the sunshine, and the West Of Scotland is where the best temperatures will be. The wind will be feeding much light in the second half of the weekend, but quite chilly for the north sea coastal areas. Maybe a few showers on sunday but most places will be fine and dry macro and it will be warmer, as well. Dry. 15 16d. Goodbye from now. Tonight at 6pm. Prince philip has decided to step down from public duties this autumn. But it was Business As Usual today for the 95 year old prince. His decision is not Health Related and, as ever, his trademark wit. Hes been at the queens side for nearly 70 years. Theyve carried out thousands of engagements together. If we regard the queens rain so far asa if we regard the queens rain so far as a success and i think we do, the joint author of that success is the Duke Of Edinburgh. His achievement is unparalleled. Well be looking at Prince Philips contribution to public life. Also tonight. Twins, but with such different prospects. A Special Report on the hospital that caused olivias disabilities during birth
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