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Queen and royal family mourn Prince Philip as tributes pour in

Funeral details yet to be finalised after Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s ‘strength and stay’, dies aged 99
The Queen and royal family were in mourning as condolences and tributes flooded in from across the globe following the announcement of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, aged 99.
Flags were lowered to half-mast and the tenor bell at Westminster Abbey tolled 99 times in honour of Prince Philip, the Queen’s “strength and stay” for 73 years, who died peacefully at Windsor Castle on Friday morning. He was the longest-serving consort in British history and two months away from his 100th birthday.
As a mark of respect, political parties paused campaigning ahead of May’s elections and the House of Commons announced it would be recalled one day early on Monday for formal tributes to be paid. TV channels cancelled scheduled programming to run tribute coverage as news of his death made headlines worldwide.
A statement from Buckingham Palace, issued at midday, said: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The royal family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”The Prince of Wales visited his mother, the Queen, during Friday afternoon, travelling from his Gloucestershire home to Windsor Castle, sources have said.
Funeral details are being finalised but the coronavirus pandemic means original funeral plans – codenamed Forth Bridge – must be hastily adapted. No 10 and Buckingham Palace are in consultation. Government officials said there would be eight days of national mourning until the morning of the funeral, making it likely to fall on Saturday, but later removed the statement.
Organisers are said to be “desperately anxious” not to stage anything that attracts mass gatherings. Restrictions will mean public elements of the final farewell are not able to take place in their original form.
Planned processions in London and Windsor, where the funeral service is expected to take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, are unlikely to go ahead. Government rules state no more than 30 people can attend a funeral. Up to 800 people, including world and Commonwealth leaders, senior politicians and representatives from the duke’s many patronages, would originally have been expected to attend.
It is thought the Duke of Sussex, who lives in the US, is likely to be among the small number of mourners who will be present, though it is not known if Meghan, who is pregnant, will join him. The couple paid tribute to Philip on their Archewell website on Friday, which switched to a memorial page. It read simply: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021. Thank you for your service … You will be greatly missed.”
Covid restrictions also led the government to request people not to gather at royal residences. The royal family has requested that members of the public, instead of leaving flowers, consider making a donation to charity. An online book of condolence has been opened on the royal website.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “Although this is an extraordinarily difficult time for many, we are asking the public not to gather at royal residences and continue to follow public health advice, particularly on avoiding meeting in large groups and on minimising travel. We are supporting the royal household in asking that floral tributes should not be laid at royal residences at this time.”
A framed plaque formally announcing the death was fixed to the railings of Buckingham Palace, but removed after one hour instead of the traditional 24 hours to avoid attracting crowds.
Gun salutes will mark the duke’s death on Saturday. At Woolwich Barracks, six 13-pounder first world war field guns, the same as those fired for Philip’s wedding, and pulled by 36 horses, will fire simultaneously as gun salutes at the Tower of London, Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, Edinburgh Castle and Cardiff Castle, as well as in Gibraltar, and from Royal Navy saluting warships. The gun salutes will be fired inside parade grounds behind closed doors and televised, with the public asked to watch from home.
The prime minister led tributes to Philip. Speaking at a podium outside No 10, Boris Johnson praised the duke’s “steadfast support” of the Queen, saying Philip had “helped steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life”.
The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said the UK had “lost an extraordinary public servant”. The former prime minister Sir John Major said Philip was “for over 70 years, the ballast to our ship of state”.
Tributes came from across the world, including European royal families, Commonwealth leaders and the US Congress. The US president, Joe Biden, highlighted the duke’s “decades of devoted public service”.
In a pre-recorded interview with the BBC Prince Charles paid tribute to his father, saying: “I think he’d probably want to be remembered as an individual in his own right, really.” The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said he was “an outstanding example of Christian service” and a powerful advocate for conservation. The adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams said the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme Philip founded 65 years ago would be his greatest legacy.
The duke’s health had been slowly deteriorating for some time. He returned to Windsor Castle on 16 March after a month in hospital for treatment for an infection and where he underwent heart surgery for a pre-existing condition.
He had retired from public duties in May 2017, joking that he could no longer stand up. Since then he was rarely seen in public, spending most of his time at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, though moving to be with her at Windsor Castle during the Covid lockdown periods.
Despite living quietly out of the public eye, he made headlines when involved in a car crash in January 2019. Two women needed hospital treatment after he was apparently dazzled by low sun as he pulled out of a driveway in Sandringham. The Crown Prosecution Service decided it was not in the public interest to prosecute the duke after he later voluntarily surrendered his driving licence.
Born on the island of Corfu, Philip, who once described himself as “a discredited Balkan prince of no particular merit or distinction”, played a key role in the development of the modern monarchy in Britain. He relinquished his naval career to immerse himself wholeheartedly in national life, carving out a unique public role. He was the most energetic member of the royal family with, for many decades, the busiest engagements diary.
Even when well-advanced in years, he could be seen on walkabouts hoisting small children over security barriers to enable them to present their posies to his wife.
He could be blunt and outspoken to the point of offensiveness, and was accused of making racist remarks. He claimed to have coined the word “dontopedalogy”, a talent for putting one’s foot in one’s mouth. He never suffered fools gladly, but equally he could be charming, engaging and witty – and displayed such genuine curiosity on his official visits that his hosts were flattered.
His youngest son, the Earl of Wessex, said the public image of his father portrayed by certain parts of the media was “always an unfair depiction”, and he always had a “twinkle in his eye”. Prince Edward told ITV news : “He was brilliant. Always absolutely brilliant. He had a wonderful sense of humour but of course you can always misinterpret something or turn it against them, so it sounds like it’s not right.”
He chaired the Way Ahead Group – made up of leading royal family members and their advisers – to analyse and avert criticism of the institution.
The Queen, who deferred to him in private, would say “What does Philip think?” on any major matter concerning the royal household. Big decisions, including her finally agreeing to pay tax on her private income, the abolition of the royal yacht Britannia, and her letter to Charles and Diana suggesting an early divorce, were taken after consultation with the duke, according to insiders.
He had a keen interest in religion and conservation, despite dispatching a 2.5-metre (8ft) tiger with a single shot on an official visit to India in 1961, the same year he became president of the World Wildlife Fund UK. Industry, science and nature were other passions.
The duke had looked gaunt as he was driven away from King Edward VII’s hospital in central London in March, having been pushed in a wheelchair to the waiting car.
He and the Queen spent more time together this year than they had since his retirement from public duties in 2017, with the Covid-19 crisis leaving the two of them at Windsor in HMS Bubble, the nickname given to the couple’s reduced household of staff during lockdown.
source: Caroline Davies
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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