MPs back Prince Philip statue on The Mall in London
Prince Philip is set to be commemorated with a statue along The Mall in London, after the idea gained cross-party backing by MPs.
The Mall already has statues of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother alongside a statue of her husband King George VI.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both support the idea of erecting a statue of the Duke of Edinburgh nearby his in-laws.
A source close to the Prime Minister said he would be on board with the idea, while a Labour source said “a statue would seem a fitting tribute for his years of service”.
Any statue would likely cost millions of pounds, however a public appeal for donations could bypass the need to directly use taxpayer funds.
The Queen Mother’s statue, erected in 2009, cost £2m and was paid for by the production of a one-off five-pound coin that commemorated the Queen’s 80th birthday.
Sir Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told the Sunday Telegraph that a statue for the Duke of Edinburgh would be “a fitting tribute to mark a lifetime of public service and duty”.
Tributes from world leaders for Prince Philip have flowed in over the past two days, after the Queen’s consort died aged 99 on Friday.
Every living US president paid tribute to the Duke, as did a host of European leaders and fellow royals. In a statement, incumbent Joe Biden said: “Over the course of his 99-year life, he saw our world change dramatically and repeatedly. From his service during World War II, to his 73 years alongside the Queen, and his entire life in the public eye — Prince Philip gladly dedicated himself to the people of the UK, the Commonwealth, and to his family.”
Barack Obama praised the Duke’s “extraordinary example”, while George Bush said that he had “brought boundless strength and support to the sovereign”.