Special pre-recorded civic service in remembrance of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to be broadcast

A special pre-recorded civic service in remembrance of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will be available to view online from this Friday evening (April 16).

Led by the Rector of Leeds, The Reverend Canon Sam Corley, and with a sermon by the Anglican Bishop of Leeds, The Right Reverend Nick Baines, the service will be recorded at Leeds Minster. Others participating in the service are the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, and the Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson.

The service of remembrance, which will be broadcast on Leeds City Council’s YouTube channel from 6pm on Friday, will provide an opportunity for the people of Leeds to reflect on His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh’s life and to also give thanks for his decades of service to Her Majesty The Queen, the nation and the Commonwealth.

To view the service of remembrance, which will be pre-recorded due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions in terms of social distancing and gatherings, please see the council’s YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/leedscouncil

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, said:

“The passing of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has brought great sadness to so many people in Leeds. With that in mind, we were very keen that despite the restrictions still in place around coronavirus, we find a way from a city and civic perspective in which residents would be able to still pay their own respects if they wish.

“We will therefore be broadcasting from Friday evening on the council’s YouTube channel, a special pre-recorded civic service in remembrance of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. This will be a wonderful way in which as a city we can still come together, and offer our thanks for everything His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh achieved through decades of unstinting public service.”

Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, said:

“The life and work of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has left an indelible mark on so many people and charities and organisations not just in Leeds, Yorkshire and the UK, but in countries right across the world. As part of a special pre-recorded civic service set to be broadcast online from this Friday evening, the people of Leeds are invited to join us in remembering the immense contribution that His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh made in so many different ways.”

The Rector of Leeds, The Reverend Canon Sam Corley, said:

“Over the course of the last year so many of us have contended with the pain of losing loved ones, and we have been forced to pay our respects in difficult circumstances under necessary but demanding restrictions.

“The service on Friday, on the eve of the day of The Duke of Edinburgh's funeral, provides us all with an opportunity not only to pay tribute to the service and example of a remarkable person at the end of a remarkable life, but also offers us the chance to acknowledge our shared experiences of loss and grief. I hope that everyone who views the service will find it offers encouragement and inspires hope for the future.”

Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, said:

“I am pleased to be taking part in the civic service in remembrance of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. It provides the opportunity for the people of Leeds to give thanks for a lifetime of devotion to duty. The Duke of Edinburgh made numerous visits to Leeds over the years and these are remembered with pride and great affection.”