Nile Gardiner: Prince Philip was an inspiration to the British people

The passing of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99, is a huge loss for Great Britain.

During World War Two, the Duke was second in command of a Royal Navy ship, and served with great distinction at the Battle of Cape Matapan between Allied and Axis forces in March 1941, where he was mentioned in dispatches for bravery. He served all through the Second World War, in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, North Atlantic and the Pacific. This warrior prince epitomized the ethos of sacrifice, patriotism and love for country—virtues that enabled the great wartime generation to save the free world from the tyranny of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.