At noon on Saturday, Town Mayor Cllr Stewart Gardiner laid a bouquet at the foot of the flagstaff outside the Town Council offices to mark the death of Prince Philip.
The Mayor, whose badge of office was covered by a black velvet pouch; as convention requires, was accompanied by his consort, the Deputy Mayor at other members of the Town Council.
This short ceremony took place 24 hours after the announcement from Buckingham Palace that His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh had died and coincided with the national 41-gun salute.
Before placing the bouquet of white roses and lilies in a vase, the Mayor said that he lay the flowers on behalf of all the people of Knutsford. He went on to say they were laid in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh, in thanks for his life and all his achievements and in the hope that he might Rest in Peace.
Standing for a short period in silence, after laying the flowers, the Mayor then read a short piece reflecting on death from ‘The Prophet’ by Kahlil Gibran which included the poignant line ‘For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one’ and ending quite hopefully ‘… and when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.’
The Mayor then thanked those who had attended the short Act of Remembrance.