Liberty Newsletter April 2021

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This edition of Liberty was to have been all about the Queen’s 95th birthday but, of course, she will not now be celebrating this very special day on the 21st of April as, sadly, she will be in mourning. However, there is no reason why we should not proceed with our celebrations but tempered by our thoughts for the well-being of Her Majesty and accompanied by our prayers and very best wishes as she faces the future without her beloved husband and consort of over 73 years.

Often outspoken, and with a sense of humour that later generations could not understand and often criticised him for, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the rock on which the Queen and the whole of the Royal family relied upon.

In this edition we speak about his achievements and, on occasion, faux pas. Also included is the AML media release written by Rachel Bailes, a member of our National Council.

In interviews on the passing of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, there were some jarring notes, for instance, Malcolm Turnbull, who has, since he was deposed, become Australia’s troublemaker in chief. He brought up the comments in support of a republic that Prince Philip supposedly made in 1999.

As can be expected, Buckingham Palace had readied itself to proceed to a smooth hand-over in the event the Australian people voted for a republic. As the Queen has always said, the matter is a matter for the Australian people to decide. However, Prince Philip, in his care for the Queen, took offence at the way in which she was attacked and often maligned by republicans who targeted the Queen rather than the constitution. I know how vile some of these comments are because they were often sent to me and sometimes still are. The Duke’s position was that, if the people wanted to become a republic, then they should be a republic and hopefully thereafter stop attacking his wife. His comments to Australians at the time of the 1999 republic referendum was “If the monarchy is of value, retain it. If not, get rid of it.”

As a number of our members are aware, I was asked to become involved in 1993 to help in preventing the hostile attacks on the Queen by media, advertising interests and some politicians and together with Dame Pattie Menzies and others we launched campaign after campaign and eventually succeeded in curbing the worst of the attacks other than those by individuals with obviously warped intellect.

In June we were preparing to celebrate Prince Philip’s 100th birthday but this is not to be. Instead, we will celebrate his life spanning over 99 years and in particular when, at the age of 18, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and saw active duty during World War II, and then his marriage to Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and the ensuing 73 years and more of service to his sovereign, the Commonwealth and, indeed, the world.

Preparing for the future

Whilst this past year has been a write-off as far as functions and get-togethers are concerned, your executive has put a huge amount of effort and money into creating new websites both for AML and also the educational programme we have sponsored which is now becoming operative under the name ‘Australian Nationhood Foundation’. You can view our educational programme website at nationhood.org.au.

Many members have told us that we don’t need to bother about preparing for a republic push as Morrison will be there for many years to come and, as a Queen’s man, we hope that this is true. In his comments regarding the passing of the Duke he quoted:

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save The Queen!

However, we should never forget that only a few seats separate the Coalition government and the Labor Party and now we find that the government is in a minority and could find itself in dire straits if Labor no longer provides pairs, as occurred during the Gillard government by the then opposition led by Tony Abbott.

We have therefore been building up and expanding our database. Josh, a digital expert, has joined our team and he and Eliot, our website guru, to both of whom we are extremely grateful, have completely revamped our website operations so that our website is now the equal of any you may find in the corporate space.

So successful have our operations been that we now have a proven database in excess of 50,000 people. Obviously, our emailable database is less and our financial membership a fraction of that. Nevertheless, our reach is in excess of 50,000 and growing which will serve us well whenever the issue of a republic rears its ugly head.

In the event there is an Albanese government either next year or in or around 2024/5, it is probable that they will firstly proceed to create an indigenous voice to the parliament as well as constitutional recognition. Then they will most likely proceed to a republic. It is possible, although doubtful, that both issues will be held at the same time.

Of course, no one knows what the future will bring. This year will be the 22nd year since the 1999 referendum and few republicans would have thought all those years ago that our system of governance under the Crown would still be intact today and, what’s more, greatly valued by younger generations. Indeed, as far as most people are concerned, there is no problem with our Constitution or with our monarchical system and the majority can see no reason whatsoever to change. In fact, a number of republicans of 1999 have moved away from a republic as they begin to realise the dangers of having a politician in total control.

God Save The Queen

The family of the Duke of York, second son of the King, George V, was a normal, happy family with doting parents. They were people who loved the countryside with dogs and horses galore.

However, this all changed when the King died and the Duke’s elder brother became King as Edward VIII. It changed because the new King wanted to marry his already married American divorcee mistress and this was something that the people in 1936 would never allow. It led to a crisis for the government of the day.

They consulted with the dominions and Australia was the first to respond with an emphatic “No”. Pressure by the government and the dominions eventually led to the King abdicating. He was able to do that because he had not yet been crowned or anointed and had not taken the oath of life-long service.

This meant that the quiet, unassuming Duke of York, who suffered from a serious stammer, became King as the next in line and his life, the life of his new Queen, Elizabeth and their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, were for ever changed particularly that of Princess Elizabeth, who was then only 10 years of age and who had to immediately commence training for her future destiny as Queen.

Obviously it would be difficult for any child of that age to understand and absorb the seriousness of what had just happened. It wasn’t just that Princess Elizabeth’s father had become king, but because it was unlikely that he would sire any more children, that she would, in the future, become Queen.

There is a story of when Princess Margaret heard the news of the Abdication and that her father was king and said to Princess Elizabeth when she realised that her sister would eventually be Queen “Poor you!"

From that time on her education, her fun-time and her dreams of ponies and the like, became a thing of the past for her future was to prepare for the destiny that awaited her.

It was therefore no wonder that she grew up to be a rather outwardly solemn young lady, and no wonder because the whole burden, not just of Britain, but of one quarter of the world was to be on her shoulders. A daunting task, indeed.

It was when Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret were on a trip with their parents to Dartmouth’s Britannia Royal Naval College that she first met Prince Philip of Greece who was about to embark on a career with the Royal Navy. Lady Margaret Rhodes, a cousin of Elizabeth, wrote in her autobiography that “Elizabeth was truly in love from the very beginning.”

One of the very few times she really argued with her parents was when she sought permission to play an active part in war service. When she had reached 16, she had registered with the Unemployment (Labour) Exchange to join a division of the women’s armed forces, but it was only when she was 19 that she was able to get her own way and she joined the ATS, not in some exalted rank, but as an ordinary recruit. She rose to become truck mechanic No. 230873 whose duties were to change wheels, deconstruct and rebuild engines and drive ambulances and so on.

The calibre of the person who was to become our Queen can be found in the comment she made many years later that it was the only time in her life when she had been able to seriously test her own capabilities against others of her own age.

This was the spirit and the mindset of the young lady who was to become our Queen and whose entire life has been one of service, never thinking of herself but always of her people.

There were further encounters and in 1947, soon after the war, the couple got engaged and were married at Westminster Abbey in November of that same year. It is little known nowadays that the official wedding cake was made using ingredients given as a wedding gift by the Australian Girl Guides.

Even though Prince Philip had served with great distinction in the British Navy, to marry the future Queen he had to become a British citizen and in so doing forgo his Greek title and become plain ‘Mr’. However, on the eve of the marriage the King granted Philip the designation of a royal highness and he was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich and was also made a Knight of the Garter.

The first son, Charles Philip Arthur George, was born in 1948 and a daughter, Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, was born two years later, in 1950.

The Navy sent Prince Philip to serve in Malta and his family moved with him. However, due to the King’s illness Princess Elizabeth was required to return to the United Kingdom to undertake more onerous duties.

It was while they were on an official visit to the Commonwealth in 1952 that they learned, when they were in Kenya, that the King had died and Elizabeth was now Queen.

Thus the radiance that became the newly married Princess was sadly replaced by the agonising sight of the young new Queen dressed in black walking alone down the steps of the plane which had brought her home to fulfil Her destiny (pictured on P5). Prince Philip wanted to accompany his wife but was told no. Elizabeth was now Queen and he must now walk behind her.

That was 69 years ago and as that young Queen has grown into an elderly woman, now celebrating her 95th birthday, the doctrine of serving the people and always putting their interests first before her own or even before that of her family has continued right throughout.

In 1950, when Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were representing the King on an official visit to the United States, President Truman commented “When I was a little boy, I read about a fairy princess, and there she is”!

That fairy princess, who two years later became our Queen, has lived and reigned longer than any other monarch in our shared history.

During her long reign of nearly 70 years, she has always taken care to be measured and sincere in her speech and actions and has always sought to put duty first. In the words of her beloved mother, the Queen Mother “Work is the rent you pay for your space on this Earth”.

Her father George VI had died at just 56 years of age meaning that the future of the new Queen was to live out the rest of Her life in the service of her People.

Under our Constitutional Monarchy there is no hiatus between Monarch and Monarch. ‘The King is dead, Long Live The King’ has been the dictum of the Kingdom for centuries.

Her Majesty’s grief had therefore to be kept to Herself. There could be no breakdown or public shedding of tears, for she was now Queen with the overwhelming responsibilities of the governance of what were now her kingdoms.

We will see this strong resolve now, as she faces a future without her beloved husband by her side.

Within fifteen years following her accession, the Queen oversaw independence being given to nearly all of the countries which formed the British Empire but through her diligent work many of those former colonies were inspired by her to join together, even with old enemies, and form the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Commonwealth was originally the concept of the Queen’s father but was really brought into being by the Queen herself. The Commonwealth is the first time in the world’s history that former nations of an empire joined together in a more or less friendly association under the leadership of the former head of that empire. The Commonwealth is, indeed, one of the Queen’s great successes.

During her long life and her 69 years on the Throne, the Queen has seen times of enormous change, from the age of the typewriter to the computer, from the age of the early Dictaphone to the age of speech recognition, from propeller planes to jet aircraft, spacecraft and so on.

I suppose that the most dramatic change has been that of the Internet including the invasive social media, but the Queen has taken all this in her stride and in fact has embraced modern technology with her own Facebook and Twitter and other social media accounts. Few know that the Queen was the first head of state to use electronic mail sending an e-mail in 1976, from a British army base.

Throughout her whole life the Queen has been a constant, her only wish to serve the people and this has been the benchmark for her Governors-General and Governors to follow. Were we ever to become a republic, we could never expect to have a head of state who has never engaged in political posturing nor looked to self rather than to the people. A president would merely be a clone of our prime ministers. One can only hope that the Australian people never have the chance to regret having done away with a system which is as good as it gets.

Throughout this enormous period of great change, although unobtrusive the Queen has been and is the one constant throughout the years. We have been so fortunate to have lived during her reign. She is a part of our lives. She will always be to us that ‘Fairy Princess’. She is Elizabeth the Great.

May God bless Her Majesty. May God save the Queen.

To The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh I quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet:

"Good night, sweet prince. May hosts of angels sing you to sleep."

Yours sincerely

Philip Benwell
National Chair

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Vale, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

When, in 2015, the then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, nominated Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for an Australian knighthood it created outrage mainly amongst the media and politicians but in which most people joined . You see, most people at the time knew little about the enormous work that Prince Philip had achieved in Australia nor did they know of his love for this country which he had first visited in 1940 as a midshipman on the battleship Ramillies. He took up his shore leave and went into the bush and worked as a jackaroo so he could learn about the essence of the country. He was back in 1945 and I can recall older members talking about bumping into him in Sydney, just walking along George Street and elsewhere.

Of course, the main visit most people remember was following his marriage when he accompanied the Queen in 1954 during the first visit to Australia of a reigning monarch.

In all, he visited Australia on over 20 occasions, from when he was in the British Navy right up until his last visit with the Queen in 2011. Perhaps most memorably he opened the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, the Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962 and the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982.

When I was a young boy I can remember adults talking negatively about Prince Philip in that he came from an impoverished and exiled royal family and that his sisters were married to princelings who had had close Nazi connections. He had been born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark on the Greek island of Corfu actually on the family dining room table and, when the Greek monarchy fell, it is said was smuggled out in an orange box.

Although the Prince of Greece, he had no Greek blood in him. His grandfather, a Danish Prince, had been invited to assume the Greek throne. His formal dynastic name was Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. His mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was both Queen Victoria’s great-granddaughter and a second cousin to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.

In exile, his parents split up and he was shunted off to live with relatives eventually ending up in Britain under the care of Lord Louis Mountbatten. When later questioned about his disjointed childhood, he commented “You are where you are in life so get on with it.”

With his carer, Lord Louis, being a naval man and having a great interest in the sea himself, he went to the Naval College at Dartmouth after which, with the United Kingdom at war, he tried to join up to fight but, as a Greek citizen, was refused entry and it was not until 1940 when Greece entered the conflict as a British ally, that he was able to serve as he did with bravery and distinction on a series of battleships, rising to second in command, and mentioned in dispatches for his valour.

Whilst at Dartmouth his uncle arranged for him to escort the young daughters of the King during a visit and a pen-pal type friendship thereafter commenced between himself and Princess Elizabeth. This was not unusual because, together with his uncle, they were relations of the Royal family all having descended from Queen Victoria.

Princess Elizabeth was a young lady of 19 when the war ended and, particularly given the king’s ill-health, there was talk of marriage to Prince Philip. However, before that could happen it was necessary for him to become a British subject of the King. In so doing it was necessary for him to abandon his Greek citizenship along with his right to the throne. His dynastic name of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg was changed to that of his uncle, Mountbatten which, in itself, had been changed in 1917 from the princely name of Battenberg.

The fact that he had to do so, I don’t think really bothered him, after all, he and his family were barred from entering Greece and, along with his family, he was essentially stateless. However, what did upset him was the fact that, even under the Anglicised name of Mountbatten, his children, as children of the monarch, were to be named ‘Windsor’. There was a declaration changing this in 1960 so that future generations would be named ‘Mountbatten-Windsor’

Prior to the accession of Elizabeth to the throne, they were able to live a moderately normal married life. Philip continued with his naval career and Elizabeth became, if not an actual housewife, a wife. However, when Elizabeth became Queen, this all changed and Philip found his position to be very difficult. The palace courtiers also found it difficult because they really didn’t know what to do with him. It was the first time there had been a male consort since the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert in 1840, and Albert, likewise, found his position to be intolerable. Elizabeth, however, was very understanding and made certain that Philip was the master at home.

Following the coronation, when things began to settle down, Philip started to create a position for himself outside the palace environment. In 1956, he established the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme to train young people to be self-reliant and to become leaders within their communities learning values of responsibility and perseverance together with other skills. Over the years some 8 million young people around the world have participated in the scheme with 775,000 in Australia alone.

Above all, Prince Philip was a Navy man with a lifelong commitment to the military. In Australia he held the honorary military positions of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy, Field Marshal of the Australian Army, Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and Colonel-in-Chief of the Australian Army Cadets. He was a Companion of the Order of Australia (Military Division) and, in 2015 became a Knight of the Order of Australia (General Division).

He was also patron of more than 800 organisations, with around 50 organisations here in Australia. He played an active role in many, particularly those engaged with the environment, industry, sport and education.

With so many young Australians receiving leadership training and with hundreds of people engaged in organisations enjoying his patronage as well as so many having the honour of being presented to him, as I had been on several occasions, I find it strange that when the then Prime Minister, the Hon. Tony Abbott, nominated him to receive a knighthood within the order of Australia, few came forward to rebut the media and political attacks on the Duke as undeserving. After all, was he not one of the most deserving of all in this country to receive such an honour?

Of course, he did give offence to some with his frankness and his wit, but he didn’t seek to ridicule anyone or be unpleasant in any way. He was a Navy man and told it as he saw it.

He didn’t suffer fools gladly and had no hesitation in showing it, but never in a nasty way although some were upset by his directness.

In this edition of our Liberty newsletter dedicated to his memory, we have included a number of anecdotes involving The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

To quote from the message by our Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP:

“But above all, today, we think of our Queen. While your strength and stay, Your Majesty, may now have passed, Jenny and I pray that you will find great comfort in your faith and your family at this time. But we also, Your Majesty, say to you as a Commonwealth, let us also now be your strength and stay, as you continue to endure, as you continue to serve so loyally and so faithfully, as you have done over so many generations. She has been there for us over such a long time. Let us be there now for you, Your Majesty, and allow us to send our love to you on this, I am sure, one of your most sad of days. I am sure her Prince would join me in saying: God save our gracious Queen. Long live our noble Queen. God save our Queen.”

The prime minister’s entire message has been included in this newsletter.

END

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A Few Anecdotes Provided by AML Members

“When the tall, sharp-faced patrician of military bearing mounted the dais to address me and my fellow high school students in Sydney back in 1977, we might not at first have expected that what he had to say would be of overwhelming interest to us hormonal savants. But within 30 seconds or so his speech had begun to inspire consistent chuckles, which soon became outright laughter. It was delivered without the slightest perceptible suggestion of effort on his part. And although in the ensuing decades I heard a few other public speakers who were almost as good as he - Geoffrey Blainey, Nikolai Tolstoy, B.A. Santamaria, and Sydney University's English literature lecturer Andrew Riemer above all - I have yet to hear any other public speaker who, in terms of platform delivery, actually surpassed him”.

I refer of course to His Royal Highness Prince Philip. The occasion made me wish that I had actually been able to speak with him. Respect and RIP.

Robert Stove - Melbourne

The only time I had direct contact with the Prince was back in 2009 when HRH approached a lady whom I was with and she said to HRH as he was approaching us “Prince Philip, I'm from Malta” to which he replied “What are you doing here?” “We have just returned from there.” To which I interjected and said “Your Royal Highness, the reason as to whey she is here , is because she is not all there!” This remark bought a cheeky smile to His Royal Highness.

Peter Reedman – Sydney

While I did not have the pleasure of meeting His Royal Highness, my grandfather served in the Royal Navy on the same ship as the Dukes first deployment with the RN.

The young Lieutenant after his first night on the ship had not ‘risen’ at the usual time as other and my grandfather asked the Captain how he would like him to ‘handle’ this matter.

The Captain instructed he be treated as any other. My grandfather then proceeded to Lieutenant Mountbatten's cabin and turned his bunk upside down with him in it.

Felicity Findlay - Sydney

I met Prince Philip when he came to Wye to meet members of the College who were going on expedition to Iceland through the Duke of Edinburgh Award. He also met with members of the College Student Council. I was on the Council representing World University Service. I was introduced to Prince Philip as the ‘WUS’ representative and he exclaimed “it gets wus and wus!”.

Later the students barricaded the driveway to the rugby match. They had a horse and cart waiting. Prince Philip’s car stopped and a student invited the Duke to ride on the cart. He did not hesitate and hopped on to the cart while our Principal and Lord Northbound, who were with him, scurried to join him on the back of the cart.

Sheila Thompson - Brisbane

 

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9 APRIL 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VALE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH
10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021

The Australian Monarchist League tonight mourns the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who has died aged 99 at Windsor Castle.

Ever since he knelt before the Queen and swore to be Her Majesty’s “liege man of life and limb” at her Coronation in 1953, the Duke worked tirelessly as a steadfast, principled patron of the people of Great Britain, Australia, and all of the Commonwealth Realms.

The Duke’s commitment to the armed forces, informed by his years of active service in the British Royal Navy, was profound. The Duke was a Companion (Military Division) and later a Knight (General Division) of the Order of Australia, as well as holding the honorary military positions of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy, Field Marshal of the Australian Army, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Colonel-in-Chief of the Australian Army Cadets and Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force.

The Duke was a beloved husband of 73 years and a loyal consort of 69 years. He was a father of four, a grandfather of eight, and a great-grandfather of ten and family was of the utmost importance to him.

The Duke served as a patron of more than 800 organisations, devoting enormous energies to causes close to his heart, such as the environment, industry, sport and education.

Over 775,000 young people aged 14-24 have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Australia since its establishment in 1956, together with the youth of more than 130 countries around the world. Its values of responsibility, engagement with community, and perseverance are a lifelong gift.

His Royal Highness was the longest-lived male member of the British royal family and his time as royal consort exceeds that of any other consort of the British royal family.

Alongside the Duke’s royal commitments, His Royal Highness was also known for his enjoyment of polo, carriage driving, flying, painting and good humour.

It should be noted that the Duke only retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017, aged 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements since 1952.

This is a time of deep sadness for Her Majesty the Queen, HRH Prince Charles and his siblings, as well as their children and grandchildren.

Australians join with those mourning around the world in remembering the Duke with gratitude for his lifetime of public service. The thoughts and prayers of the Australian Monarchist League are with the Royal Family and all those who mourn at this time of grief.

ENDS

We are grateful to Rachel Bailes for drafting our official media release and to Laura Smith & Brant Rippon for handling social media announcements immediately following the news of the passing of HRH The Prince Philip on Friday 9 April 2021

 

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STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON SCOTT MORRISON MP

Good morning everyone, on this very sad day, awaking to the news for many about the passing of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. On behalf of the Australian people, and the Australian Government, I extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Her Majesty and the Royal Family for the passing and death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.

Your Majesty, here in Australia, and indeed across the world, your Commonwealth family joins in your sorrow and your mourning and that of your family. But also, we give thanks for the life of who you described as your strength and your stay. Your Prince, Prince Philip. Husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

The Duke's life was one of duty and of service, of loyalty and of honour. Memories of him will of course tell stories of his candour, and a unique and forceful and authentic personality. But above all, he was a man who was steadfast, who could be relied upon, always standing by his Queen.

In Australia, we also know of that steadfast commitment and loyalty of the Duke of Edinburgh. Patron of some 50 organisations here in Australia, a legacy of 775,000 Australians who were award recipients under the Duke of Edinburgh Award program. As the Governor-General reminded us last night, he visited our country on more than 20 occasions. On board the HMS Ramillies in 1940 as a midshipman. In that crowning tour when he had joined the new Queen, in great ceremony and great excitement here in Australia. But there were also moments of deep compassion, in particular in the terrible bushfires of 1967 in Tasmania, where he comforted the victims and he toured the burnt out Cascade Brewery.

There are many towering figures that the world has lost and known but few have been before us in our lifetimes for such a long time. His presence and service a reassurance, a reminder of the stability we so often need in a world that can be so uncertain. With his passing, we say farewell to another of the greatest generation. The generation that defied tyranny, that won a peace, and built a liberal world order that protects and favours freedom. An order that indeed Australia still shelters under for our own peace and prosperity and stability to this day.

But above all, today, we think of our Queen. While your strength and stay, Your Majesty, may now have passed, Jenny and I pray that you will find great comfort in your faith and your family at this time. But we also, Your Majesty, say to you as a Commonwealth, let us also now be your strength and stay, as you continue to endure, as you continue to serve so loyally and so faithfully, as you have done over so many generations. She has been there for us over such a long time. Let us be there now for you, Your Majesty, and allow us to send our love to you on this, I am sure, one of your most sad of days. I am sure her Prince would join me in saying: God save our gracious Queen. Long live our noble Queen. God save our Queen.

Later today, I will be attending with His Excellency the Governor-General to sign the official condolence book with Jenny. Tomorrow, I intend to attend St Andrews here in Sydney to give thanks and to pay our respects for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh. There will be announcements by the Anglican Church of Australia about other remembrance services that will be held and I will leave that to the Anglican Church of Australia to make those announcements. At pmc.gov.au Australians can right now go and register their official condolences. That can be done and they will all be passed on in the appropriate way to Her Majesty. In addition, hard copies, formal copies, we encourage members of Parliament and local governments across Australia to make those available for those who would prefer to do that in person. And I encourage you to make contact with your local member of Parliament and with your local government to arrange to be able to do that and I am sure they will be putting those arrangements in place. Of course, encouraging all federal members of Parliament to ensure that they are making that service available to their constituents, and I would say particularly their more elderly constituents, who I know will be feeling this particularly today.

In addition to that, the Royal Family has requested that people from around the world, should they like to do more in paying their respects, to donate to one of the Prince's many, many charities and patron organisations. If you go to the pmc.gov.au website, you will find the link there to the Palace site and there you will see the list of the many different organisations that span a great life of service. Later today in Canberra there will be a 41 gun salute to mark the passing of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.

But for now, we send our love to you, our Queen. We join you in your mourning and your sadness and we join you in giving thanks and pray for your endurance and for your strength at this difficult time. Thank you.