THE tributes to Prince Philip by William and Harry yesterday were deeply personal and affectionate.
Wills praised his grandpa’s “infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humour”.
Read our live blog for the very latest news on Prince Philip’s death…
Harry remembered him as a “master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right ’til the end”.
Taken together, their statements dovetailed perfectly to capture the essence of the Duke of Edinburgh.
But more than that they reflected the brothers themselves: William’s gentler, dignified warmth, and Harry’s disarmingly informal sparkle, a side of him all too seldom seen of late.
It just goes to show how much better they work when both are pulling in the same direction.
We very much hope their shared grief this week helps them to salvage their once-close relationship for the good of the family — and the nation.
It is a shame that the one man who would have been best at puncturing the tension with a forthright wisecrack or two will no longer be there to do so.
SNOW? Pah! Ice? Don’t be a melt! Nothing short of armageddon was going to stop cooped-up Brits racing to pubs and shops in their droves yesterday, and so it proved.
Tens of thousands queued in the unhelpfully unseasonal chill for a bit of light shopping, as unlocking continued.
And it’s unlikely to be a flash in the pan — top economists are predicting a “swift bounceback” for the economy as shoppers shake off the lockdown blues by getting the tills ringing once again.
Many of us will need to wean ourselves off an increased dependency on online shopping if the recovery is to see our high streets brought back to life long term but the initial signs are good, with £1billion spent yesterday and another £1.2billion expected today.
It’s not often that you can use the excuse of patriotism to splash out on refreshing your wardrobe, so if you’re among the lucky ones to have saved some extra cash in lockdown, treat yourself . . . and UK plc.
LIKE fellow Big Brother icon Jade Goody, Nikki Grahame’s life ended far too soon.
The anguish of lockdown finally swung the balance in the bubbly star’s 30-year battle against anorexia too far, leading to her death aged just 38 last week.
Jade’s death of cervical cancer at 27 in 2009 galvanised a generation of younger women into having smear tests.
Her tragedy undoubtedly saved the lives of others.
Let’s hope that Nikki’s story can do the same for sufferers of eating disorders by giving them the motivation to seek — and accept — the help they need.
