welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. tributes have been paid to to the duke of edinburgh, who s died at the age of 99. prince philip was the longest serving royal consort in british histor, a constant support to queen elizabeth during more than 70 years of marriage. his death was announced in a brief statement from buckingham palace. prince philip was known for his strong views, but also his unswerving sense of duty, playing a prominent role in public life here in the united kingdom and across the commonwealth. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell looks back at a remarkable life. his was the support that mattered most. across more than 70 years of marriage and more than 65 years of elizabeth s reign, it was philip to whom she could always turn. he hadn t always found the role of consort easy, and sometimes, ill judged comments got him into trouble. but it was a partnership which weathered the storms and coped with constant scrutiny to demonstrat
the long and eventful life of prince philip, the duke of edinburgh, has drawn to a close at the age of 99. he was by some distance the longest serving royal consort in british history, a role that he d made very much his own. no precedent. if i asked somebody, what do you expect me to do, they all looked blank, no idea. nobody had much idea. from the day of his marriage to the future queen and throughout her long reign, he was at her side, in good times and bad. he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and i and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know. we ll take a look at the duke s influence as a father, grandfather and great grandfather over several decades. if you were having problems you could always go to him and know that he would listen and try to help. we ll mark the success of the duke of edinburgh s award scheme for young people, just one of the achievements be