Tributes are pouring in for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after the announcement of his death this morning.

He passed away peacefully at Windsor Castle, aged 99.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: "We mourn today with Her Majesty the Queen. We offer our condolences to her, to her family. And we give thanks, as a nation, and a kingdom, for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh."

Prince Philip had strong links with Devon, having trained as a naval cadet at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth – where he first met the Queen when she visited, aged 13, in 1939.

One of his greatest legacies was the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme which was founded in 1956 and has been patroned by Prince Philip since - making a huge difference to many generations of Devon teenagers.

He often visited the region to support young people's projects; in 2006 he met young people preparing to sail from Torbay on a leg of the Tall Ships race and four years later he was out on Dartmoor greeting thousands of walkers at the end of the 50th Ten Tors expedition.

Responding to this morning's news, long-serving Dawlish town councillor and former Mayor, Rosalind Prowse, said: "It is with great sorrow I learn of Prince Philip's death. All my life he has there. He has always been loyal and supportive to our Queen and country. A modern man who valued our world and supported our young people through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. We have lost a person of great value."

09 Apr 2021

Death of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh

Fellow Dawlish councillor John Petherick, who's also the chair of Teignbridge District Council, said: "We are very saddened to learn of the death of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh.

"The Duke has served our country for almost 70 years, and has a special place in the hearts of the district and the nation, and a close affinity with Devon, through his links with the naval college and his support for programmes like Ten Tors.

"Our sincere condolences to the Royal Family at this sad time, and our thoughts are with them and all those suffering this loss.

"We have lowered our flag on the Forde House office to half mast as a mark of respect."

Read more local tributes here: Devon dignitaries pay tribute to Prince Philip.