04/05/2017 BBC News at One

The Duke of Edinburgh is to retire from public duties this autumn.

Buckingham Palace says the decision was made by Prince Philip himself

and has the full support of the Queen.

The Prince, who turns 96 next month, will attend previously scheduled

engagements until August but won't be accepting new invitations.

We'll have the latest from Buckingham Palace.

The two candidates in the French Presidential election

trade insults in a heated television debate,

A BBC investigation finds a sharp rise in the number of men

being treated for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

The surfer rescued after 32 hours stranded in the Irish Sea

Matthew Bryce says he thought he was going to die.

And they flew right over, and I thought they'd missed me.

Coming up in the sport on BBC News, Manchester United

prioritise the Europa League for the rest of the season

as they look to qualify for the Champions League.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News At One.

Buckingham Palace has announced that the Duke of Edinburgh

will stop carrying out public engagements this autumn.

Prince Philip, who will be 96 next month, made the decision himself

The Palace says the Queen will continue to carry out a full

is the longest-serving consort in British history.

The Prime Minister said she offered him the country's

Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell reports.

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 Paller says the decision

has not been prompted by any particular concern about health, and

indeed in recent weeks he has been for billing 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 familiar

joke. The world's most experienced...! 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's 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 most of constant and valued supporter in private. Soon

the public role will come largely to an end. The statement said...

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's 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.

Oh, he has dedicated his life to public service and to supporting the

Queen. I think he has more than end his retirement. Prince Philip, as

well as the support he has given the Queen and his own public servers, of

course, has done an amazing amount of charity work as well. The Leader

of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, said of the Duke...

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 with less

responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, lest 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, 25000 and more public engagements, more than 800 charities

and 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 and 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 more than 780 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 in 1956 and has benefited millions

of young people across the UK. Richard Lister

has been looking at the impact the Duke has had on charities

in many countries. 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, a post he held for more

than 60 years. It still fights to protect spaces like this for sports

and recreation in urban areas. His love of the outdoor life led to the

scheme which still bears his name, the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards,

which he created in 1956. To give young people a 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's Awards scheme,

which is known around the world for getting young people out there and

trying to get them away from the phones and everything they do these

days, you know, that is a great legacy. For 15 years, he was the

high-profile president of the world wildlife fund, travelling widely to

press the case for conservation. We depend on the web of life, we depend

on every living thing on this planet, just as much as they depend

on us. In latter years, because he has been most attached to, according

to Ben is, 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 major force behind it.

Has 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 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, who is running it, he will still know their

names and say to them, what is keeping you busy? Of 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.

In a moment, we'll speak to our royal correspondent

but first Sarah Campbell is at Buckingham Palace.

Always a magnet for tourists, of course, I wonder what people have

been saying there today? Well, yes, crowds here and indeed the world's

media have been digest in the news throughout the morning that the

prince is going to retire from Royal duties. If you take a look around

me, I am at Canada Gate, just opposite Buckingham Palace, and we

counted roughly 20 broadcasters who have been here since the early

hours. From Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe and the UK, and they

started riding here when that announcement was made, or it was

made clear that there would be an emergency meeting here today at

Buckingham Palace. As you would expect, speculation on social media

was rife, but the reason that staff from across the UK were brought here

to Buckingham Palace was so that they could be told in person the

decision of the Duke. This will make global headlines, as the shows, and

he is one of the world's most recognised public figures, and the

Palace has produced some figures to recognise that point, 600 overseas

visits, or than 5000 speeches, and in his spare time he has written 14

books. He may have to get used to getting out of the public eye, but

the public will have to get used to his absence. Sarah, thank you, Sarah

Campbell there. Nicholas Witchell, of course, with us, as ever, why

particularly now you might it might sound strange for someone of 95, why

do we have to ask the question? He has been thinking about it, since I

understand it, since the beginning of the year. He wanted particularly

to be at the Queen's side last year, and previously we had the moment

when she became the longest reigning monarch, the Diamond Jubilee, but he

clearly feels that a change of pace is called for and is necessary. He

is finally going to do what he said he was going to do six years ago on

her 90th birthday, starts to wind down. But he has, as Chris Diwali

was intimating in that piece, he has said that he may still attend public

events from time to time. So it is perhaps, as he was saying, and ends

to compulsory public duties, but I think that he will still be in

public site from time to time, and one particular occasion coming up

that I'm sure it he will attend will be a certain wedding anniversary,

their 70th, their platinum wedding anniversary. I am quite sure he will

be in public view on that occasion. One other thing to say, this

decision clearly has the support not just of the Queen, who will continue

unchanged, but the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, and they

come up with other members of the Royal Family, will have to take more

of the load. All right, thank you, Nicholas Witchell. Now we will take

a look at the rest of the main news. 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 Some councils will begin counting

ballots as soon as polls shut while others will start

counting tomorrow morning. Results will be announced

throughout the day tomorrow. Four days before France

elects its new President, the two remaining contenders

have traded insults The centrist candidate,

Emmanuel Macron, said his far-right rival,

Marine Le Pen, She accused him of being complacent

about Islamist extremism. Our Europe correspondent

James Reynolds was watching. France's next President sat at

this table, but at which end? 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 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 - Millions watched,

but not all were impressed. TRANSLATION:

The debate was heated - because of that,

I didn't watch all of it. 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 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. to begin her final days

of campaigning. It's a last attempt to

narrow the gap with her opponent. The Duke of Edinburgh is to retire

from public duties this autumn. Buckingham Palace says the decision

was made by Prince Philip himself - and has the full support

of the Queen. Tracked from space -

how British scientists are using satellite images to count

the entire population Coming up in sport in the next 15

minutes on BBC News: Usain Bolt tells us about the legacy he hopes

to leave behind - and why he won't A surfer who was rescued

after spending 32 hours clinging to his board in the Irish Sea has

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. Our Ireland correspondent,

Chris Buckler, has been talking to Matthew Bryce

in the Ulster Hospital in Belfast, I knew my body

temperature was dropping. Sunburnt and still recovering

from more than 30 hours spent I had a white lycra top

over my wetsuit and I would 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 wind's pushing me further

and further out. He end 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, So I knew I had maybe three hours,

and I was pretty certain So I was watching the sun set,

I pretty much made peace with all, And the helicopter flew, right over,

so I jumped 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, This is the moment he was rescued

from the water, and his family You have this elation, you're high

and then 20 minutes later, 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 The RNLI have apparently

recovered your surf board as well. Are you looking forward to being

reunited with your surf board, I think we'll find

a good use for it. And his family are likely

to make him keep that pledge. Chris Buckler, BBC News,

at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast. There's been a sharp rise

in the number of men being treated for eating disorders such

as anorexia and bulimia, Figures obtained through a Freedom

of Information request showed the number of males receiving

outpatient treatment in England is rising at double

the rate of females - although women still account

for the majority of people treated. Simon bakes everyday,

but gives everything he makes to friends,

family and homeless charities. I get some kind of strange

satisfaction out of seeing people enjoy the things that I don't feel

able to enjoy myself. Simon's been anorexic

for almost two years. Logically I know that

I need to eat to live, otherwise at the end of the day this

will kill me. And it doesn't make

a blind bit of difference. I'll do everything that I can

to reverse the effect I tend to walk as far as my body

will allow me to walk. The number of male patients

being treated for eating disorders across England has risen by more

than a quarter over It's more than double the rise

seen in female patients. The number of boys being treated

has gone up by a third These figures don't necessarily mean

that more men have eating disorders. It could be that the stigma

is lifting and that Dr Kiran Chitale is based

at the Julian Hospital in Norwich and treats under-18s

with eating disorders. She's seeing more boys than ever

walk through her door. As a society we are being fed

a daily diet of controversy around what constitutes good food and bad

food, what a perfect body means. NHS England says more support

like the type offered Treatments include psychotherapy,

counselling, sometimes medication. Simon's urging others

to speak up and seek help. Russia says there is international

support for the creation of "safe zones" in Syria,

to end the fighting and allow Talks are taking place

in the Kazakh capital, Astana, to try to halt the conflict,

in which at least 300,000 On the streets of Syria's towns

and cities, the trauma This apparently the aftermath

of an air strike, near Leaving yet more children

caught up in the fighting 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, This is the most important condition

for allowing the parties 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 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. Shares in the high street retailer

Next fell by as much as 7% one point this morning,

after it reported worse It also warned that profits this

year could be considerably lower than it had forecast just a few

months ago, because of what it describes as a challenging

trading environment. Our business correspondent

Emma Simpson is here. Now, if you have an old ?5

note in your pocket, you may want to go out

and spend it soon. The paper note - which features

the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry on one side -

won't be accepted in shops The Bank of England says

there are still 150 million of them in circulation -

although most banks and building More details from our personal

finance correspondent, The period of juggling both

the old and new ?5 notes The old ones have to

go back to the Bank. But some at this London market

aren't prepared for the paper fiver ceasing to be legal tender

at midnight tomorrow. No, I don't think many

people know at all. I haven't seen it on the news,

I haven't read it in the paper. There are millions still out there,

so you'll probably see some more. Well, listen, they're not legal

tender after Friday, People have got used to the paper

fiver featuring Elizabeth Fry, She's now making way for

the Winston Churchill plastic fiver. It means until September

there won't be a Bank of England note with a woman on it,

other than of course the Queen. But the Bank says 150 million

old fivers remain at large. That's ?750 million worth -

or three notes for each adult - The new polymer ?5 note featuring

Sir Winston Churchill has got lots of sort

of clever security features. We want the public to have those

notes rather than the paper Setting a clear date of the 5th

of May to withdraw the Elizabeth Fry notes means people know exactly

which notes they should have and which notes

to check and which security After Friday, you will still be able

to take your old ?5 notes into your own bank and deposit them

or exchange them, but shops won't be accepting them,

so you're probably best off just The Bank of England says it'll

take paper fivers back for all time, but be warned -

at the till they'll be rejected. British scientists have

for the first time been able to assess the entire global

population of an endangered sea bird Numbers of the northern

royal albatross, one of the largest of the species,

have previously been hard to assess. But scientists are now able to use

much more sharply-defined satellite Our science correspondent

Rebecca Morelle reports. They're the world's

largest flying birds, but despite being so easy to spot,

counting albatrosses is tricky. Most of the sea birds nest

on islands which are extremely remote and difficult to access,

but now there's a new way to get Scientists are using a powerful US

satellite to zoom in on places like the Chatham Islands

in the South Pacific. Ultra high-res images can map areas

down to just 30 centimetres, which mean each albatross appears

as a white dot, and researchers It means we finally

have a number for this species - The birds have an impressive wing

span of about three metres. When not breeding,

they are found widely throughout the Southern Ocean,

but they are classed as endangered because of the tiny area

in which they can nest. Now, the satellite tally has come

in at about 3,600 nests. Of the 22 species,

19 are under threat. And they are facing many dangers -

from the plastics polluting our ocean, to getting caught up

in fishing lines It's really important for us

to know, conservationists and scientists, to know how these

birds are doing, because they're Overall, the story for

albatrosses is quite hopeful. There are quite simple solutions

to reducing the number being killed at sea,

and there are ways to restore So what I'm hoping in the future,

is that these satellite images will actually be able to show us

we are moving in the right direction The satellite technology

could transform our understanding of these birds, and scientists hope

to extend the study to other Knowing how many birds there are now

will help us to track how It's the weather lottery out there

at the moment. Some of you have won the jackpot this week. It's been

perfect for the Scottish tourist board. Look at the Highlands macro,

beautiful all week, lots of blue sky and sunshine. Unfortunately hotel

manager is not so happy across the Kent coast. This morning, a lot of

low cloud, a few scattered showers and it's feeling cold, I'm afraid.

I'm sure your summer will come in a few weeks or months' time. In the

south we have quite a lot of cloud with the breeze coming in off the

sea and it is exacerbating the problem. It's cold, the North Sea,

around 9 degrees, so with the strengthening breeze just driving in

the cloud and a few showers, it's pretty miserable. 10-11 at best

through this afternoon. It's a different story, the weather lottery

I was talking to you about, further north and west are sorts of blue sky

and sunshine. Cold across the north-east of Scotland but sheltered

in western areas. We could see temperatures into the high teens

this afternoon. Absolutely glorious. It's feeling pleasant. Not so bad

into Northern Ireland and parts of north-west England as well. A good

slice of sunshine further north and west. A bit of hazy, high cloud as

you push south, then into the nuisance cloud, always running the

risk of a few scattered showers running along the M4 corridor, down

to the south-west this afternoon. Cold unexposed east coasts. Pleasant

and warmer in the far north-west through this afternoon. Overnight

tonight, we keep the clear skies in the north, so it will turn on the

chilly side here. The blanket of cloud sitting down towards the South

still can't rule out the shower. In towns and city centres, temperatures

holding up. In rural Scottish blends we might see temperatures low enough

for a touch of light frost. Yet again you get the sunshine tomorrow.

The winds will start to strengthen tomorrow and might take the edge off

the temperatures are little, but we will see potentially gales

developing by the end of the day into the south-west. High teens in

Cheltenham -- sheltered western areas. Gardeners and growers might

get excited, this is an area of low pressure, some rain pushing in.

Don't get your hopes up too much. Unfortunately it only looks like

heavy rain across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and it will drift off the

near continent. A breezy day on Saturday. A good deal of dry weather

for many of us. The area of low pressure disappears and as we move

into Sunday, perhaps a better day of the two over the weekend, but the

breeze will be light and from a northerly direction so back to the

weather lottery. Disappointing on the east coast. The best of the

weather further west. A reminder of our main

story this lunchtime. The Duke of Edinburgh is to stop

carrying out public duties this autumn. Buckingham Palace said

Prince Philip had made the decision himself with the full support of the

Queen. On BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.