TRIBUTES have come flooding in following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.

MPs across Dorset and beyond have sent their condolences to the royal family and told of their experiences with Prince Philip.

Sir Christopher Chope, MP for Christchurch, said: “It is a very sad day, we mourn his loss and send our condolences to Her Majesty and all the family.

“We thank him for his fantastic service and length of service.

“I was lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions, what always struck me was his great sense of humour. It’s just an end of an era.

“He was always somebody who would want to try to pick out the less obvious people to meet at gatherings.

“I can remember, for example, when I was introducing him to colleagues at some event, he enjoyed meeting the ones who weren’t so eager, he always wanted to help and did not want to indulge those who fought their way to the front of the queue.

“He would go for the people who were more reserved I think that was a really endearing characteristic.

“A lot of people have always mentioned his Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, it’s given successive generations of young people the ability to find out about themselves, things they didn’t know they could do, his support for that was a continuing legacy.

“Obviously behind the scenes his support for Her Majesty is right up the top it was a great partnership.

“I think it is very sad we weren’t able to celebrate his centenary, I think people will feel that have missed out on that, we will have to see what happens in relation to national mourning because I think we should not be inhibited in our national mourning by the coronavirus.”

MP for Bournemouth East, Tobias Ellwood, said: “It has been a very difficult year for the nation, this adds to the sadness of what we have gone through as a country, a huge loss, our thoughts and prayers are with Her Majesty the Queen.

“From a military perspective, he was colonel chief of my regiment. Ultimately, he was a serviceman and he was a serviceman right to the end.

“He was a breath of fresh air, you recognise there is a sense of duty. He was never scared of speaking his mind.

“He kept the support of the royal family, most important was his stalwart support for the Queen, we know that is who will be most affected by this.

“I think his legacy will be his absolute sense of duty and faithful service to Her Majesty the Queen, to his family and to the country.”

MP for Bournemouth West, Conor Burns, said: “I had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions, on one occasion at Buckingham Palace, on another occasion at Banqueting House and when the Queen came to parliament for her golden jubilee.

“He had an incredibly long, full and fulfilled life, we should be grateful as a country we had Prince Philip’s service for as long as we did.

“We’re thinking today of our Monarch, our Queen, as a wife, she must be absolutely bereft.

“He was the embodiment of the well-known public image, he was outspoken, funny, he pulled your leg, he could be rude, but great fun to talk to.

“This is a very unusual period for what would have normally been a very significant national event, we will wait and see what the Palace announces by way of arrangements.

“It is very sad, he was 99, just shy of his 100th birthday, it is not a life cut short, I hope there is a mood of thanksgiving for a long and useful life of service.

“I hope Her Majesty will take some comfort in the outpouring of emotion.

“His whole life was one of service from his military service in the second world war to something that must have been hard for someone of his generation to accept his wife’s more senior role and devote himself to support her.

“I think it is a very useful reminder of the fulfilment that people can get from a life of service.”

Sir Robert Syms, MP for Poole, said: “I have met him on a few occasions, I think he has been a marvellous support for the Queen who has done a very good job.

“I think we owe a great debt of gratitude for the work he has done for our country.

“He has been president of a number of charities including the World Wildlife Fund, I am glad the House of Commons has been recalled on Monday so we can pay tribute.

“There were occasions where, as an MP, one gets invited for a drink in Buckingham Palace, sometimes Prince Philip had a habit of saying what people were thinking, it meant he was very much his own man.

“All campaigning has now been suspended, there will be the tributes on Monday, the difficulty is how do you deal with the funeral.

“He has always been a great support for the Queen, it has been a great partnership, he will be remembered as the longest serving consort in British history, I think he has done our country proud.

“It is a sad time for is sons and daughter, it is clearly going to be a heavy blow for the Queen.

“We can all thank him for what he has done for our country.”

MP for New Forest West, Sir Desmond Swayne, said: “I was very privileged indeed because from 2012 to 2014 I was Her Majesty’s vice chamberlain, my duties were to the queen, invariably you ended up at various functions speaking to Prince Philip.

“He was the most charming and interesting of people, the sort of person, if you had been chatting to him at the bus stop you would look at your watch and say ‘let’s go for a pint’.

“It was a life well lived. Just passing the time of day with him was very interesting.

“He was one of those people who was a real delight to speak to.

“It’s very sad, we are privileged to have been served by him for so long, as I say it was a life well lived.

“I think he has a tremendous legacy, not least with the Duke of Edinburgh awards. Hundreds of countries have adopted that scheme, I think that will be one of his principles, clearly his life was served to the Queen.

“I understand he didn’t want any fuss when he died, the nation would want to make a fuss.

“It was a life well lived, we can all look at what he did for the country.”