Prince Philip, husband of England's Queen Elizabeth II and a leading figure in the British royal family for nearly 70 years, died on Friday April 9 at the age of 99, Buckingham Palace announced.

Immediately, the tributes multiplied to pay homage to this pillar of the British monarchy. 

• Boris Johnson hails "extraordinary life and work"

"We are in mourning, together with Her Majesty The Queen, we offer our condolences to her, to her family" and "the nation and the kingdom offer their thanks for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh", declared the head of the British government outside Downing Street.

“He has led the Royal Family throughout these years alongside the Queen. With his title of Duke of Edinburgh, he has inspired thousands of young Britons during his lifetime. He will be remembered for all that. he did."

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• Tony Blair salutes "his determination and his courage"

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair praised Prince Philip's "determination" and "courage". 

"He will naturally be particularly recognized for his remarkable and unwavering support to the Queen for so many years. However, he is also to be greeted and celebrated in his own right as a man of foresight, determination and courage," said the former Labor leader, adding that Prince Philip "was often ahead of his time".

• He "represented the United Kingdom with dignity", according to George W. Bush

Former US President George W. Bush paid tribute to the prince, saying he "represented the UK with dignity". 

"Throughout his long and remarkable life he devoted himself to noble causes and others. He represented the United Kingdom with dignity and brought boundless strength and support to the British crown," he said. estimated the former president in a statement.

• Scottish Prime Minister "saddened"

"I am saddened by the news of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. I extend my personal and deep condolences, as well as those of the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland, to Her Majesty The Queen and her family," a par elsewhere reacted the Scottish Prime Minister, Nicola Sturgeon on Twitter.

I am saddened by news that the Duke of Edinburgh has died.

I send my personal and deepest condolences - and those of @scotgov and the people of Scotland - to Her Majesty The Queen and her family.

https://t.co/G7ocXXOH2U

- Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) April 9, 2021

• A man "who embodied a generation"

In Australia, of which Elizabeth II is the sovereign, Prime Minister Scott Morrison greeted a man who "embodied a generation".

Statement on His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

pic.twitter.com/6kq6Lg7cLp

- Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 9, 2021

At Buckingham Palace, in the heart of London, the flags were half-masted and a text announcing the disappearance of the Queen's husband was posted on the gates.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who would have turned 100 in June, was admitted on February 16 to a private hospital in the British capital, King Edward VII, officially with an infection. 

He then underwent "successfully", in early March, an operation for a pre-existing heart problem in another London establishment, Saint Bartholomew's Hospital, with the largest specialized cardiovascular service in Europe. 

With AFP and Reuters 

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