this is bbc news. i'm sophie long, live at buckingham palace, where its been announced the duke of edinburgh is to retire from public duties, a decision he took himself, backed by the queen. but it was business as usual this lunchtime, when he took his place alongside the queen — by the autumn he will no longer be accepting engagements. the prince — who turns 96 next month — said his decision marks a transition for the royal family. i'll be bringing you all the latest developments. i'm ben brown. the other news at 4 o'clock. the french presidential candidates trade insults on television — now emmanuel macron files a lawsuit to scotch rumours he holds an offshore bank account. and the surfer rescued after 32 hours stranded in the irish sea speaks exclusively to the bbc — matthew bryce says he thought

he was going to die. they flew right over. i thought they'd missed me. and then they turned round and they saved my life. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. buckingham palace has announced that the duke of edinburgh will retire from public engagements this autumn. his decision to step down has the full support of the queen. she will continue her public duties as normal, with support from other members of the royal family. a palace aide said prince philip was nearly 96 and was looking forward to enjoying more leisure time. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell‘s report contains some flash photography. arriving at st james‘s palace a short time ago, side by side, as we are accustomed to seeing them, the queen and the duke of edinburgh. but this, come the autumn, will be the exception. the duke has decided, finally, just a few weeks short of his 96th birthday, that it is time for him to step back from public duties.

the palace says the decision has not been prompted by any particular concern about health, and indeed in recent weeks he has been fulflling a group of engagements which belie his age. yesterday, he was at lord's cricket ground, opening a new stand, meeting young cricketers, and cracking a familiarjoke. the world's most experienced plaque unveiler! plaque unveiling and much more has been a part of his life for very nearly seven decades, and although he has launched initiatives of his own, like the duke of edinburgh award scheme, his most important role has been to support his wife, the queen. as she has become the longest reigning monarch, he has been the longest serving consort, a few paces behind in public, but her most constant and valued supporter in private. soon, though, that public role

will come largely to an end. political leaders broke off from election campaigning to pay tribute. from his steadfast support for her majesty the queen to his inspirational duke of edinburgh awards, and his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes, his contribution to our united kingdom, the commonwealth, and the wider world will be of huge benefit to us all for years to come. i wish him well in his retirement, i wish him well spending time doing the things he wants to do, as opposed to being required to attend lots of events, some of which you

may find very exciting, some less so. may find very exciting, some less so. so all the best, may find very exciting, some less so. so allthe best, good may find very exciting, some less so. so all the best, good luck. 0h, he has dedicated his life to public service and to supporting the queen. i think he has more than end his retirement. than earned his retirement. prince philip, as well as the support he has given the queen and his own public service, of course, has done an amazing amount of charity work as well. it was six years ago, in a bbc interview to mark his 90th birthday, that the duke indicated that he was thinking about slowing down. i reckon i've done my bit, i want to enjoy myself a bit now, with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say. on top of that, the memory is going, i can't remember names, so yes, just sort of winding down. but nothing much changed after his 90th birthday. he continued with a range of public visits. those who know him say his contribution has been unparalleled. later this year, he will have been at the queen's side for 70 years,

25,000 and more public engagements, more than 800 charities and other organisations in which he has been actively involved. he has done his bit. the duke's retirement from public duties will mean that other members of the royal family will step up to support the queen. it's likely that she'll be seen more frequently at major occasions with the prince of wales and the duke of cambridge. all of which underlines the fact that, although her husband may be stepping back, the queen is not. in the words of buckingham palace, the queen, 91 two weeks ago, will continue to carry out a full programme of official duties. nicholas witchell, bbc news. the duke of edinburgh is a patron of almost 800 charities — but he'll no longer have an active role attending public functions to support them. one of his greatest legacies will be his work as chairman of the duke of edinburgh awards,

which he set up 60 years ago and has benefited millions of young people across the uk. so what impact has the duke had on charities around the world? richard lister reports. almost as soon as he became part of the royal family, the duke of edinburgh was determined to make his own contribution to british life. while he is most familiar to us at the queen's side at some of the biggest moments of her reign, he has also built up a portfolio of causes, which he has promoted for decades. few, if any, of the people taking part in this park run in leeds would even have been born when prince philip became the president of the national playing fields association in 1947, it was a post he held for more than 60 years. now the fields in trust charity, it still fights to protect spaces like this for sports and recreation in urban areas. he was clearly very

passionate about our cause, which is about protecting green space. his love of the outdoor life led to the scheme which still bears his name, the duke of edinburgh awards, which he created in 1956. to give young people the chance to discover their own abilities for themselves as an introduction to the responsibilities and interests of the grown—up world, and incidentally to make new friends and have a great deal of fun and satisfaction in the process. the scheme calls for a combination of physical activity and volunteering, which almost 120,000 young people completed last year alone. in terms of his legacy, the duke of edinburgh awards scheme, which is known around the world, for really getting young people out there and trying to get them away from those phones and everything they do these days, you know, that is a great legacy.

for 15 years, he was also the high—profile president of the then world wildlife fund, travelling widely to press the case for conservation. we depend on being part of the web of life, we depend on every other living thing on this planet, just as much as they depend on us. in latter years, the cause he has been most attached to, according to friends, is the maritime charity, trinity house. the former admiral is thought likely to maintain some involvement behind the scenes. and his promotion of the equestrian sport of carriage driving is likely to be undiminished, if a little less publicly than before. but he helped write the rules for the sport and has been a majorforce behind it. he's been a good ambassador for eventing, he is approachable, he has always been doing something, involved, and not sort of high and mighty. i think he has done his bit, i think he has been absolutely wonderful, and he has been immaculate in every way. it is sad, but i suppose in reality

it is not surprising, at 96, you are entitled to retire from royal duties. although not always high—profile, the duke of edinburgh used to carry out at least 250 appointments in a busy year. those who know him say his impact on british life has been... absolutely huge, no single person, apart from the queen, had such an impact, and when we talk about him retiring, i do not believe it is a retirement, it is a change of the way he does things. he is stepping out of the compulsory public duties. he will still be interested, he will still know what is going on, he will still know who is running it, he will still know and say to them, and what is keeping you busy now? so the next chapter of the duke of edinburgh's life begins, but it will be one that plays out less publicly than before. richard lister, bbc news. 0n the line is sir nicholas soames, a close friend of prince charles, and the grandson of sir winston churchill. thank you very much indeed for being

with us. good afternoon. his stepping down, his retirement from his public role duties has thusly been the subject of some discussion within the royal family for some yea rs within the royal family for some years now. were you surprised to hear this news today?|j years now. were you surprised to hear this news today? i was surprised, i was amazed. i am glad for him that he has made the decision to do it. i think if you have reached 96, which is a good 30 yea rs have reached 96, which is a good 30 years after most people retire, you are, and aftera years after most people retire, you are, and after a life he has led, you are more than entitled to have a bit of time to yourself, and i think that his contribution has been immeasurable. and i was very taken with one of your earlier reports, in which prince philip actually said, you know, thinking of things to say when he is making speeches. you know, he writes of his own speeches, he does an extraordinary amount of work on the half of all of those

organisations, and it is, i believe, a right decision on his part for his sake. but i think the debt this country sake. but i think the debt this cou ntry owes sake. but i think the debt this country owes him is a very great one indeed. you mentioned his speeches, he made more than 5000 of them over the past more than six decades. he has undertaken a huge role in public life. what, then, do you think the impact will be on other members of the royal family be, impact will be on other members of the royalfamily be, like of impact will be on other members of the royal family be, like of course prince charles? it has already become clear that other members of the royalfamily, become clear that other members of the royal family, including become clear that other members of the royalfamily, including the prince of wales, are beginning to undertake more roles particularly overseas, and i've no doubt that that will now continue. and i have seen like everyone else have seen that prince william is going to move to london and will be undertaking more royal engagements, so there will be this seamless, i think, transition. i think it has all been

beautifully, as one would expect, elegantly handled, in the most dignified manner, and i think eve ryo ne dignified manner, and i think everyone who wishes our country well wishes prince philip well for a very happy retirement. yes, well, tributes have been pouring in from politicians and the public and people around the world, and we are told that although he is stepping down from public life, we might see him occasionally when he sees fit. i mean, howfar him occasionally when he sees fit. i mean, how far removed do you think he will become from public life, come the autumn? i genuinely don't know, but we will see him, no doubt, when he chooses to be seen, and no doubt he will accompany the queen on those occasions that he wants to, like on the private engagements that the queen does that he sometimes goes with her on. but i think all this is rightly done on his terms, after careful thought, and i think

we will notice, people will notice. 0ne always says he is a gaffe prone prints, it is only the press to say that. he is funny and witty, and i love the picture of him on philips meets philip on the television the other day, of him talking to some of these wonderful graduates of the duke of edinburgh award scheme, which formally and people have been through, an astonishing number whose lives have been made better by prince philip ‘s mac initiative. i love the way he was laughing and joking. he is a tremendously five—day schist chap. i really think —— tremendously vivaciously chap. his own slowing down would be as low as we think. yes, he was joking only yesterday at lord's cricket ground that he was the world's most experienced plaque unveiled. do you think people will miss his sense of humour? all of us well. i think

people need to look back, this is a man who had a very gallant war, who served in the last war, whose career in the navy was cut short when he married the queen, who quite possibly would have reached the very top of the royal navy, a man of extraordinary gifts and competence and understanding and empathy, actually. and a very independent minded man, and i think his contribution to the monarchy and to the country has been quite outstanding. you know, you can pick holes in everything if you want to, but i think his public life has been an astonishing passage for him. as i say, i have been fortunate enough to know friends philip —— to know prince philip for quite a long time

andi prince philip for quite a long time and i have absolute reverence for him, he is quite a remarkable man, a wise man, and i think we will miss him, but good luck to him. he is 96, iam69 him, but good luck to him. he is 96, i am 69 and him, but good luck to him. he is 96, iam 69 andi him, but good luck to him. he is 96, i am 69 and i feel like him, but good luck to him. he is 96, i am 69 and ifeel like retiring tomorrow morning. my god, what a record he has got. sir nicholas soames, thank you very much for being with us. joining me now outside buckingham palace is the writer and broadcaster, hugo vickers, who has written a number of books on the royal family. vickers, who has written a number of books on the royalfamily. thank vickers, who has written a number of books on the royal family. thank you for being with us. how significant a moment did you think we are seeing today? prince philip is a tremendous pragmatist and i think we are seeing a very pragmatic moment in a sense. he is not backing out of anything, he is just saying he is not backing out of anything, he isjust saying he he is not backing out of anything, he is just saying he will not take on anything new. therefore he will not want to let anyone down, he is in good form, i saw him on tuesday morning striding down like a man of 45 toa morning striding down like a man of 45 to a moral service. he is in good

shape, but it will effectively have been 31 years he has worked after the effective retirement age for men, so why not have a bit of a break? huge speculation this morning when we learned there was going to bea when we learned there was going to be a meeting and an announcement, in some ways a huge relief he is doing it in this fashion and he has decided to enjoy a bit of retirement, two months after his 96th birthday. the very interesting thing was when he celebrated his 90th birthday, members of his family, his sister's children and grandchildren or said how wonderful it was that they could actually celebrated with him, instead of as it were attending a funeral, so in a sense what we are doing today is giving a massive thank you to prince philip, and he is around to listen in and hear what we have all got to say about him. on that note, in terms of him bowing out, he will continue his royal engagements over the summer, bringing them to an end in august. will there be a symbolic moment, i suppose it will become his

last engagement. i wonder if we have rarely seen his last engagement, to be quite honest? when he was 90 he said he would very much like to enjoy himself more and slow down, there has been absolutely no indication of that whatsoever. i don't think he is going to become pope an addict, if i can put it like that, to disappear into the bowels of windsor castle never to appear again. i think we will see him out and about but think it is a very sensible move, and it gives the opportunity for the younger members of the family to support the queen and accompany her on various duties and accompany her on various duties and help with the gradual worrying process of transition, i suppose, which has to happen one day. process of transition, i suppose, which has to happen one daym terms of that, how do you think it will manifest itself, in terms of what we will see as the public? will prince charles slip into the role we are more used to seeing being done by vincelot? when prince philip was in hospital during the time of the diamond jubilee, prince charles was very much more to the fore. so a bit like that really. we have a royal

family who are there to support the queen and help her and accompany her. if prince philip doesn't accompany the queen on every single engagement she does at the moment, so we engagement she does at the moment, so we will see a bit more of that. what is very interesting is how things have changed. you go back to 1952, and the queen was a young woman of 25, her mother and grandmother and lots of elderly relations guiding her. now she is the great matriarch figure and the younger members of the family are there to help her and i think we will see more of that. just in terms of that role he has conducted over the past more than six decades, she had referred to it herself on a number of occasions, but he has been a huge source of support for the queen. indeed, and he himself said he put his most importantjob was to support the queen. 0ne he put his most importantjob was to support the queen. one of the things he did was to take on running the royal estates to alleviate her from the pressure of that. he works out when he is needed, state visits and the various things he has to do, they are permanent date in his diary, have been up to now, and then the rest of the time he is pursuing

or the other different engagements of his own that he does, duke of edinburgh's award scheme, chancellor became rich for many years. he has been a very busy man. very good to talk to you. prince philip has been a very busy man for a very long time, 110 days of royal engagements in 2016, this year 25 already. come the autumn, all that will stop, we are told. he will come out and about when he sees fit. sophie long for us at backing palace. 0ur sophie long for us at backing palace. our latest headlines —— at buckingham palace. the headlines on bbc news: the duke of edinburgh is to retire from public duties — a decision he took himself, backed by the queen. the french presidential candidates trade insults on television — now emmanuel macron files a lawsuit to scotch rumours he holds an offshore bank account. the surfer rescued after 32 hours stranded in the irish sea speaks exclusively to the bbc — matthew bryce says he thought

he was going to die. and in the sport, the everton manager ronald koeman says he hopes to see his winger aaron lennon back in his team soon, but that his well—being is the most important thing. he was detained by police on sunday under the mental health act and is being treated for a stress— related and is being treated for a stress—related illness. manchester united managerjose mourinho says they are now making the europa league their priority as a pathway to the champions league. they play celta vigo tonight in the first leg of their semifinal. and england's women's cricket captain heather knight has a stress fracture in her foot, but should be fit to lead the side at next month's world cup. more on those stories at 4:30pm. voters are going to the polls for local and mayoral elections in england, wales and scotland. nearly 5,000 council seats are vacant in 88 councils in scotland and wales,

and around another 30 are up for grabs in england. some councils will begin counting ballots as soon as polls shut at ten o'clock this evening, while others will start counting tomorrow morning. results will be announced throughout the day tomorrow. the two remaining french presidential candidates have traded insults in a heated televised debate ahead of sunday's election. the centrist candidate, emmanuel macron, said his far—right rival, marine le pen, risked civil war with her policies; she accused him of being complacent about islamist extremism. 0ur europe correspondent james reynolds was watching. france's next president sat at this table, but at which end? emmanuel macron and marine le pen argued over the future of their country. monsieur macron est le candidat de la mondalisation sauvage... translation: mr macron

is the candidate of savage globalisation, uberisation, economic uncertainty, social brutality, of every man for himself. translation: you have shown that you're not the candidate for a balanced, democratic debate. the question is, do the people want your defeatist attitude ? you say, "globalisation is too hard for us, so is europe, let's shut our borders, leave the euro — because others succeed, not us." millions watched, but not all were impressed. translation: the debate was heated — because of that, i didn't watch all of it. the aggression really bothered me. translation: it was a stream of insults from both sides, it won't change much when election day arrives. this was one of the most aggressive debates in recent french history. more than two hours of insults, attacks and accusations made for a memorable confrontation. now french voters have to pick a side. this morning, emmanuel macron told a radio station

that the debate revealed his opponent's true colours. the 39—year—old centrist maintains his lead in the polls. in her own post—debate interview, marine le pen insisted that she succeeded in revealing the true macron. ms le pen has now gone to brittany to begin herfinal days of campaigning. it's a last attempt to narrow the gap with her opponent. james reynolds, bbc news, paris. the two candidates are continuing to campaign. today, an egg was thrown at marine le pen, as she toured the north of the country. the latest poll has macron leading le pen by 59% to 41% ahead of sunday's vote, earlier, i spoke to our paris correspondent hugh schofield, and asked him how much difference the tv debate would make to the voters. well, it is not going to bring many

new voters for marine le pen, and that's all that counts, really. i'm sure what she did in this performance appeal to large tranches of the population that is behind but it won't have appealed to many other people, and given that she is so far behind, i can't see it helping her in anyway. if anything, i would take the view, though of course this is just my interpretation, that it will have maybe tilted some people who we re have maybe tilted some people who were thinking about abstaining to vote for emmanuel macron. her performance was very, very vitriolic, very aggressive. it was not at all presidential. the french wa nt to not at all presidential. the french want to see someone who looks and a cts want to see someone who looks and acts ina want to see someone who looks and acts in a presidential way, and i don't think she was doing that, and i think she deliberately was doing that. i think she knows she is not going to win this election and was acting therefore with half an eye on the future when she wants to be in

opposition, and to be leading the opposition, and to be leading the opposition against a future president macron. i don't think it will make much difference and if it does it will be a slight difference in favour of emmanuel macron. what about his performance? he used some pretty strong words, didn't he? yes, but i don't think we should put them on the same level here. he kept his cool under what was a barrage of insinuation and allegation and sloganising from marine le pen. i am not saying that simply because it was marine le pen, that was her tactic, it is quite clear. he was the consummate kind of technocratic brilliance which he has at his fingertips was able to stay calm and smooth things over and tried to return to the rational debate every time, though he did accuse her of lying and fabricating as well, but i think that was, in the circumstances, just an observation. she was making pretty wild accusations, often, at him, saying

he was backed by an islamic organisation, saying that he might have a secret account in the bahamas. these were things that were thrown out by her in the hope that the mud would stick. he could hardly ignore it. i think, the mud would stick. he could hardly ignore it. ithink, in the mud would stick. he could hardly ignore it. i think, in general, the mud would stick. he could hardly ignore it. ithink, in general, he kept his calm and tried to return to the essence of the debate. so, having said that he won this debate, i don't think that is in any sense the end of his problems. he remains a minority leader, a minority front runner. the only won 23% of the vote, that is half the country deeply opposed to his ideas, his liberal policies and so on. he has a massive task at headifen, and what we heard from marine le pen last night isjust we heard from marine le pen last night is just the beginning we heard from marine le pen last night isjust the beginning of it. now to the united states, where republicans are confident they have enough support to begin to repeal 0bamacare and have scheduled a vote in congress later today. reforms to the health care policy would then go to the senate, where a more tricky

passage is likely. we can speak to our correspondent in washington, gary 0'donoghue. gary, is this vote looking like it is on gary, is this vote looking like it isona gary, is this vote looking like it is on a knife edge in the house? gary, is this vote looking like it is on a knife edge in the house7m is on a knife edge in the house7m is close but the republican leadership are pretty confident they do now have the numbers. they tried this twice before, don't forget, and didn't call that vote because they pretty much knew they didn't have the numbers. they are going around today saying there will be a vote, that suggest they are pretty confident. there will still be republicans voting against it, it could be a dozen, it could be more. there are a lot of publicly undecided people as well. all the democrats of course will vote against it, but it doesn't —— it does look like it will squeak through this time around, which will be something for the white house to celebrate. yes, because this was such a cornerstone of tram's election campaign, and the fact he

hasn't been able to repeal 0bamacare so far has started to look like a failure on his part. yes, and not just president trump of the whole republican party has been promising to do this since it passed in 2010. so seven years they have been saying give us a chance, give us a shot at power and we will repeal and replace 0bamacare. the power and we will repeal and replace 0bamaca re. the first power and we will repeal and replace 0bamacare. the first time they have the white house, they have both houses of congress, and they failed twice to bring it to a vote back in march for stop they hope this will bea march for stop they hope this will be a change of fortune, but as you said, the senate is a completely different beast. they have to get the same bill through the senate. the senate will change it. there will have to be a reconciliation process between the two texts in each house, and that could be a very tricky process. so this, it is they get it through the day they win a battle but they definitely don't win the war. and how long untilthe result of the vote? i am always loathed the guest times because i am

a lwa ys loathed the guest times because i am always wrong. but we think it will be in about two hours' time. sorry to put you on the spot but i am sure you are absolutely right. nasa has released a spectacular video taken as the cassini spacecraft dived between saturn and its rings. the images cover an hour of observations as cascini flew as close as 4,000 miles from the planet's surface on april 26th. the spacecraft encountered very few particles on the way, despite fears it might have hit fragments of ice or rock which could cause it damage. let's look at the weather now. and has been a mixed bag in the afternoon. some of us have had a lovely day, others have been rather cloudy. as you can see here on the satellite. most of the cloud in the

south of the uk and the best has beenin south of the uk and the best has been in the north and the midlands. there is a breeze out there, driving the cloud in, and maybe some rain in east anglia and the south—east in the next few hours, but most places will be fine and dry. winds will be quite light and the skies will be clear and it will turn chilly. in more rural areas, it will be below freezing. a cold staff are some but a bright start in scotland and northern england. —— start for some. despite that, it will be dry pretty much everywhere, reaching 17—18 in scotland. cooler on the north sea coast. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: the duke of edinburgh,

prince philip, will stand down from royal duties in the autumn according to buckingham palace. the decision was made by prince philip himself and is supported by the queen. emmanuel macron, the centrist candidate fighting to become the next french president, says he is to file a lawsuit against his rival, the far right candidate marine le pen. the dispute centres on le pen's suggestions that monsieur macron holds an offshore bank account. the surfer rescued after 32 hours stranded in the irish sea speaks exclusively to the bbc — matthew bryce says he thought he was going to die. he drifted 13 miles from the argyll coast. now the sport. good afternoon.

the everton manager, ronald koeman says he hopes to see his winger, aaron lennon, back in his squad soon, but only when he's ready, and he says the player's well being is paramount. the club will give lennon all their support, after he was detained under the mental health act. and koeman, has confirmed, that they've had contact with lennon and his family. as you know that the club mentioned that aaron is in a stress—related illness and it is a private question. private situation, what happened. we tried to give him all the support. and that he's coming back as soon as possible. jose mourinho thinks that winning the europa league,

is more realistic than a top four finish, in the premier league, so they will make that competition, their main focus, as a route into next season's champions league, and that could see them resting players, on the home front. they are in spain for the first leg of their europa league semifinal tonight, against celta vigo, but play arsenal on sunday before the second leg next week at old trafford, so they might play a weakened team, against the gunners. i think it would be a good achievement with so many problems we had and would allow us to be back to the champions league next season. so we have to try, that is what we are going to do and honestly the europa league becomes for us now more important. england women's cricket captain heather knight has a stress fracture to her left foot but should recover in time for the world cup which starts in just over seven weeks. knight is expected to be available for england's warm—up matches, the first of those is on june 19th against sri lanka. it will be her first world cup as skipper after taking over from charlotte edwards. england's men start their busy summer tomorrow in bristol,

with a one day match against ireland. the two will also play at lord's on sunday. the england captain says his side are in good shape as they prepare to host the eight team champions trophy next month. the strength and depth we have had for this side has been extremely strong over the last 18 months. i think the squad we selected in the champions trophy reflects that. the guys that have missed out, we could have picked a squad of 18 or 19 that could all take the field. that bodes well for us in the competition. i hope it continues over the next two years as we build toward the world cup. that's a huge positive. usain bolt says his legacy will be proving to youngsters that clean athletes can win medals. bolt will be retiring from the sport after defending his sprint titles at the world championships in london this summer. and speaking to bbc sport's steve cram injamaica, he says he won't change his mind about quitting and is more than happy with what he has done for athletics. for me, just a great

legacy, know what i mean? to show the kids that anything is possible. you can do it without cheating, you know what i mean? it is one of the biggest things i am happy i can leave in the sport. you can do it without cheating. if you are going to do this, it is going to be hard work and dedication, and a lot of sacrifice. and you can see usain bolt: the final chapter on bbc one, this saturday, at 115pm. some rugby league news, the australianjustin holbrook is st helens‘ new head coach. he'll replace the club legend keiron cunningham who was sacked last month. holbrookjoins from sydney roosters with saints currently lying seventh in the super league. former saints scrum—half sean long will be one of holbrook‘s assistants. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more in the next hour. and now we have more on the news

that prince philip has two sided to step down from public duties. —— has decided. as we've been hearing buckingham palace has announced that the duke of edinburgh has decided to stop carrying out public engagements from the autumn. prince philip, who is 95 years—old, is said to have the full support of the queen in taking his decision. earlier my colleague sophie long spoke tojohn parker, a former carriage driver for prince philip. he said prince philip's retirement won't be an idle one. he was very, very good. he was very accurate, very brave, and he was hard to beat. he meant everything to driving. he carried on doing it until he was 65, which sounds pretty good and remarkable to think that was 30 years ago. are you surprised he continued with his role in public life for so long? no. not when you know him. when i used to drive with him the driving was his pleasure, and his work as he called it was going places.

he had five times the energy i had and was 20 years older than me. i have driven out with him in the frost and ice and i thought hooray, we would stop for coffee, but he did not stop. we went out again. he was a tough competitor. he came in at the right time for driving. everybody needed a boost. he gave that boost. everybody said if prince philip drives, i can drive, and you would be amazed at the power he brought to driving. he brought the three—day event to great britain from the continent. i got hooked up with that. he got me in a lot of trouble over that because he used to take short cuts abroad and i was told if you follow him we'll murder you. he got away with it, i didn't.

but when you drove with him you realised how keen he was and he wanted to win. and he did win. he left me behind a few times, as well. laughter a huge amount of energy, and he brought that to his public life alongside the queen as well. do you think he's enjoyed the public engagements? that he has enjoyed being the queen's consort? i think he enjoyed everything. prince philip thrives on doing things. he can't sit down for two minutes. he just can't. he's involved with everything. i remember years ago when we were travelling out to france and he was underneath a caravan rewiring the lights. nobody believed he would but he was. i had my lad under there. i didn't know the duke

was there and i said, come out of malcolm, you will mess it up, and prince philip said, "go away, we're making a good job of this". you only see one side of him. we are lucky in the driving world we saw the other side. the man who would talk to everybody. he gave so much encouragement to people, the mere fact that he drove. and he will still drive. he won't stop now. that wasjohn that was john parker, that wasjohn parker, former carriage driverfor that wasjohn parker, former carriage driver for prince that wasjohn parker, former carriage driverfor prince philip. russia says there is international support for the creation of ‘safe zones‘ in syria, to end the fighting and allow the return of refugees. talks are taking place in the kazakh capital, astana, to try to halt the conflict, in which at least 300,000 people have been killed. richard galpin reports. 0n the streets of syria's towns and cities, the trauma of civil war continues. this apparently the aftermath of an air strike, near the capital damascus.

leaving yet more children caught up in the fighting between the government and rebels. but thousands of miles away in kazakhstan, where peace talks are taking place, there's now a glimmer of hope. russia's one of the main sponsors of the talks here, and speaking in sochi yesterday, president putin pushed the idea for the creation of safe zones in syria. translation: our common sense is the establishment of the safe zone should lead to further pacification of the situation, and to the strengthening of the ceasefire regime, to curb bloody conflicts. this is the most important condition for allowing the parties to start political dialogue. the aim would be to damp down the fighting, including stopping regime air strikes in the major rebel held areas. refugees could then return home

and aid could reach those in need. if we see that a monitoring mechanism, a serious monitoring mechanism is in place to enforce the ceasefire, that is a first good indication. a second good indication, of course, is the air strikes stop. but while the rebels would likely welcome an end to government air strikes, it's harder to see how they would be prepared to give up their key goal of bringing an end to president assad's rule over syria. richard galpin, bbc news. facebook says nearly 2 billion people are using its services every month — 17% higher than a year ago. the company has come under sustained pressure in recent weeks over its handling of hate speech, child abuse and self—harm on the social network. yesterday, its chief executive mark zuckerberg announced it was hiring 3,000 extra people to moderate content on the site. a short time ago i spoke to our technology correspondent, rory cellan—jones, and asked him why people were flocking

to facebook in such numbers. we've mark duffy years ago, well, facebook mark, when it got to a billion people, and people wondered what an extraordinary business it is, almost frighteningly strong, bigger than some nations, but now is a third of the world's population, getting on for. most of the new users outside north america and europe, in developing nations. as more people come online, often it seems the first thing they do is join facebook. in some parts of the developing world they say facebook is the word that is synonymous with the internet, that is how they associate the internet. the other side, a gives this one company extraordinary wealth and extraordinary wealth and extraordinary power and not everyone is happy with how it uses it. a lot

of criticism of the content and they seem to be taking some steps towards policing that content. it has been an amazing year for facebook. they have had to face up to the fact of that power. it has wielded that power quite easily until now, ann conlon ignored criticism, especially ignored the criticism that is not just a technology company and it is a giant media empire and should take more responsibility for what people posted on it. it used to say, we leave it to our community, our members, they decide what goes on and it is up to them to warn us if things are going wrong. it is beginning to realise that no longer stacks up. another 3000 people employed, not just to stacks up. another 3000 people employed, notjust to proactively comb it, and the other difficult thing, the amount of content is so vast, thousands of hours of video now being posted everyday,

impossible to do that. how did they police it? they are still relying on us police it? they are still relying on us to say, that is bad, that is breaking the rules, and they said they will make it easier for us to report it. and then this army of new recruits will be looking at those reports and trying to assess whether they break the roles and this is the key thing, getting the material off the site sooner. in those recent incidences, the terrible murder in thailand last week of a baby, that material was up for too long. and announcing this development yesterday mark zuckerberg said, yes, we've got to be faster if we're going to have a safe community, we got to respond much more quickly. a surfer who was rescued after spending more than 30 hours

clinging to his board in the irish sea said he had prepared himself to die. speaking exclusively to the bbc, 22—year—old matthew bryce told of his relief at being spotted by the coastguard helicopter — he said when it first flew over, he thought it had missed him. 0ur ireland correspondent, chris buckler has been talking to matthew bryce in the ulster hospital in belfast, where he is recovering. i started to shiver. i knew my body temperature was dropping. matthew bryce is exhausted. sunburnt and still recovering from more than 30 hours spent drifting alone in the irish sea. i had a white lycra top over my wetsuit and i would say that's probably a yellow surf board, so that would be the right colour. this picture was taken on westport beach in scotland on sunday, and matthew believes it shows him at the start of a day's surfing before strong winds and tides pulled him out into the water. the current changes, and i can't do anything and all this time the winds pushing me further and further out. sorry.

he ended up clinging to his surf board in the irish sea throughout sunday night and all of monday, before he was eventually found closer to northern ireland than scotland, 13 miles from the beach he left. found just as the sun was setting, and a second night was approaching. so i knew i had maybe three hours, and i was pretty certain that i was going to die. before sunset. so i was watching the sun set, i pretty much made peace with it all, and then i heard a helicopter. and the helicopter flew, right over, so ijumped off the board. and i lifted the board up, and i started waving the board, in the water, and they flew right

over and i thought they'd missed me, and then they turned. and they turned round. and then they saved my life. i can't thank them enough. this is the moment he was rescued from the water, and his family could finally be told he was alive. you have this elation, you're high and then 20 minutes later, you crash back down. you don't know what state he's in, you don't know how unwell he is, and until we got that phone call from matthew, just to hear his voice. the rnli have apparently recovered your surf board as well. are you looking forward to being reunited with your surf board, is that the right question? i think we'll find

a good use for it. maybe for fuel... but yeah. you're done with surfing? i think so. i can't do that again. and his family are likely to make him keep that pledge. chris buckler, bbc news, at the ulster hospital in belfast. amazing story of survival. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day. but first the headlines on bbc news: the duke of edinburgh is to retire from public duties, a decision he took himself, backed by the queen. the french presidential candidates trade insults on television. now emmanuel macron files a lawsuit to scotch rumours he holds an offshore bank account. the surfer rescued after 32 hours stranded in the irish sea speaks exclusively to the bbc. matthew bryce says he thought he was going to die. now a look at how the markets

in europe have ended the trading session. britain's ftse held pace with european shares today, boosted by some robust results — which we'll talk about in just a moment. germany's dax hit a new record high and france's cac 40 hit its highest point for nine and a half years. shell was a crowd pleaser today. profits roared ahead in the first three months of the year. the company says that, according to the way it likes to measure these things, profits jumped to around £2.6 billon. it was helped by the fact that in the first quarter, oil prices were 55% higher than they were in the same period last year. it's a case of good news bad news for hsbc. profits fell by almost a fifth over the first three months of the year.

but the figure came in atjust under £4 billion — which is actually better than expected. the boss called them, "a good set of results". these have been challenging times for the high street retailer next. the company's sales dropped 2.5% in the last three months. it's also warning profits could be lower than expected this year. let's start there with michael hewson, chief market analyst, cmc markets. we begin with next, why so much wea kness we begin with next, why so much weakness on the high street?m depends how you are looking at the high—street, certainly next has been performing well in the last two yea rs, performing well in the last two years, their shares have more than halved since 2015. and in march it posted its first decline in profits in eight years, but the chairman of next warned about half retail environment in december. these numbers really do reflect that but there is a certain amount of own goals, as well. there are some gaps in their product lines and they are not likely to be filled until later

this year. they have also revised down the top end of their profits guidance by around £40 million but if you look at other retailers like ted baker and asos, they have done quite well, so you could argue that nexfs quite well, so you could argue that next‘s problems are self—inflicted. do you think we're going to see a recovery o n do you think we're going to see a recovery on the high—street a whole? it will be very difficult. rising inflation and incomes that are basically rising at the same rate. we will see a slowdown but what these figures tell us is that the high—street is becoming more competitive. if you look at the next rectory which is the online brand, their figures rectory which is the online brand, theirfigures were rectory which is the online brand, their figures were up 3% —— the next directory. the retail space is where retailers are finding it difficult to make any money. shell, great increase in profits for them, is it

time for the oil sector to start p°ppin9 time for the oil sector to start popping champagne bottles?m time for the oil sector to start popping champagne bottles? it is a bit premature than that, we have seen a decline in the oil price which has taken the heat out of the share price rises —— premature for that. however these figures vindicate the ceo's decision. and they do make the prospect of a dividend cut that much less likely but problems still remain and their share price is down around 10% on the year so far despite the gains we have seen today. ah the old company is going to start investing in riskier projects? —— are. is going to start investing in riskier projects? -- are. oil prices are at the bottom end of the range, as they have been in the last 3—6 months. we are looking to see a stabilisation in oil prices, and at

the 0pec meeting later this month, that could be a key dictator of what oil companies do next because they are still restructuring quite substantially. shell is only two thirds of the way through a long restructuring plan itself. hsbc, better than expected profits, even though still down. what does this say about the health of the company? in terms of the company, hsbc is in the process of restructuring. it is quite interesting to note that most of the growth we saw in the profits was from their asia business and also investment banking. that is in line with what we are seeing from us banks, they are becoming smaller, nimble and much more cost—conscious when it comes to margins. michael, thanks forjoining us. sales of new cars plunged in april by around a fifth. that's the biggest year on year drop for more than six years. the car industry's trade body, the smmt, says that around

152,000 new cars were registered in april. mike hawes is the boss of the organisation — and says that fall in demand was expected. what we saw in march was a tremendous amount of ball forward, because of changes in vehicle excise duty and road tax, coming into effect on the 1st of april, many customers decided to buy newcastle before that, —— decided to buy new ca rs before before that, —— decided to buy new cars before that. april has suffered the consequences. sales will pick 7 the consequences. sales will pick the consequences. sales will pick up? it will get to a more stable possession in the next couple of months. —— position. when you have a tax change it disrupts the market, and the market doesn't like that, but at least they could see this coming and they could plan for the change. does the economy confuse you? what's the one ‘economics‘ word you want to understand better? tweet us questions @bbcbusiness

and join us on facebook live at 11 tomorrow morning. go to facebook.com/bbc business. you can also joins us at 145 here on the news channel. a recap of the markets. european stock markets rose today. encouraged by better than expected results from the likes of hsbc and shell. in the us — oil prices have been slipping slightly — and that's weighed a bit on the markets there. that's it for now — it's time for the weather with jay wynne. it has been lovely in some areas like northern scotland and northern ireland, but further south there has been a lot of cloud. not much rain. there is a bit of a breeze, bringing in the extra cloud, but it has been

dry pretty much everywhere. a few bits of rain in the south—east and east anglia, but most of us will be dry. pretty good recipe for a chilly night. major towns and cities will be single figures, but some rural areas down to below freezing. a bright start for many, and a good deed of sunshine out there. we will see a good deed of sunshine in northern ireland through tomorrow morning, as we will do in northern england, down to the midlands, north wales. southernmost counties will have a fair bit of cloud through the morning. even here with the cloud it will be fine. temperatures hanging on to double figures. it will be a bit cloudy for the southernmost counties and there will be some brea ks counties and there will be some breaks coming and going. most places will have a decent day with a fair amount of sunshine, and lighter

winds and also some decent temperatures, 17—18, but cooler on the north sea coasts. 11—12 will be typical. we keep the cloud in the evening but it is dry nearly everywhere. that is this weather system, which is only going to clip the far south—west. nothing widespread in terms of rain on saturday but they will be some in the far south—west. most places will be fine and dry with a bit more in the way of cloud but western scotla nd the way of cloud but western scotland doing well with some sunshine and 17—18d. the second part of the weekend, the weather front moves away and the winds are very light. still some breeze on the north sea coast. 9—12d here. further west, 16—17. dry virtually everywhere and maybe a fuse showers on sunday. if you need more details

go online. this is bbc news. i'm sophie long at buckingham palace, as the duke of edinburgh announces he's to retire from all public duties. prince philip, who'll be 96 next month, has the full support of the queen, who will continue her duties as normal. it was business as usual as he took his place alongside the queen this lunchtime. the duke, who is involved with nearly 800 charities and organisations, will carry out his existing engagements up until the end of august. and i'm ben brown. we'll be back at buckingham palace later in the programme, speaking to some who know the duke well. the other stories on the bbc news. the centrist, emmanuel macron, and the far right candidate, marine le pen, square off in the final tv debate ahead of sunday's french presidential election.