Bishop Peter and Bishop Ruth express sorrow at death of Prince Philip
"On behalf of the Diocese of Bath and Wells and the people of Somerset, Bishop Ruth and I would like to express our sorrow at the news of the death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.
Prince Philip was greatly respected, and well known and loved for his wide range of interests. He had an immense dedication to public service and he approached everyone he met and every duty he engaged in with cheerfulness and good humour.
On the few occasions I have been fortunate to meet him I was impressed by his depth and breadth of knowledge on a huge range of subjects, and his commitment to duty. We thank God today for his long life and his dedicated service.
His loss will of course be felt most heavily by Her Majesty the Queen and his family and we remember them in our prayers today and in the coming days and weeks."
Bishop Peter Hancock, Bishop of Bath and Wells; Bishop Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton
Updates on services in Somerset to mark the life of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh will be posted on the diocesan website.
The Church of England has
opened an online condolence book for churches and
individuals to submit messages.
Statement from the Council of Bishops
The Society's Council of Bishops joins with the nation in sending its condolences to Her Majesty the Queen on the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Our prayers are with the Royal Family at this time of mourning. We commend the following Church of England prayer for use at this time:
<div>God of our lives,
we give thanks for the life of Prince Philip,
for his love of our country,
and for his devotion to duty.
We entrust him now to your love and mercy,
through our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.
</div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3"><tbody><tr><td>+ TONY WAKEFIELD
</td><td>The Rt Revd Tony Robinson, Bishop of Wakefield,
Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops
</td></tr><tr><td>+ GLYN BEVERLEY
</td><td>The Rt Revd Glyn Webster, Bishop of Beverley
</td></tr><tr><td>+ PHILIP BURNLEY
</td><td>The Rt Revd Philip North, Bishop of Burnley
</td></tr><tr><td>+ MARTIN CICESTR
</td><td>The Rt Revd Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester
</td></tr><tr><td>+ JONATHAN EBBSFLEET
</td><td>The Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall, Bishop of Ebbsfleet
</td></tr><tr><td>+ JONATHAN FULHAM
</td><td>The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham
</td></tr><tr><td>+ WILLIAM LEWES
</td><td>The Rt Revd Will Hazlewood, Bishop of Lewes
</td></tr><tr><td>+ NORMAN RICHBOROUGH
</td><td>The Rt Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough
</td></tr></tbody></table>