He wrote, simply: “Deeply saddened to see this announcement”. It was the first of hundreds of messages from councils, leaders, mayors and chief executives that expressed sadness at the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing, and gratitude for his many years of public service. Leading figures from other royal boroughs marked the news. Dan Thorpe (Lab), leader of Greenwich RBC, paid tribute to help the duke had given after a devastating fire, tweeting: “Prince Philip was deeply connected to our borough & we give thanks for all he helped to achieve, particularly the restoration of The Cutty Sark. #greenwich”. And Ian Thomas, the chief executive of Kingston upon Thames RBC, marked the duke’s death by retweeting the royal family’s announcement, adding “RIP”.