Eurotopics.net

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, passed away last Friday aged 99. Obituaries across the world paid tribute, stressing his modest stance at the Queen's side, which was unusual for a man of his generation, and his sometimes questionable sense of humour. Europe's press takes the opportunity to reflect on the status and future of the British monarchy.

Commenting during a press conference on Thursday on the missing third chair when EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Ankara, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Turkish President Erdoğan a dictator. Observers find his choice of words neither wise nor accurate.

For the fourth night in a row, Northern Ireland has been rocked by rioting. Over a hundred young people in west Belfast threw Molotov cocktails and stones at each other and the police, who responded by using water cannons. Heightened tensions between pro-British and pro-Irish forces since Brexit are not the only factor behind the clashes, commentators say.

The seating arrangement, which has now been dubbed "sofagate", is what will probably be remembered most about the visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel to Ankara. While Michel and Turkey's President Erdoğan sat next to each other on separate chairs, von der Leyen was relegated to a sofa some distance away.

Putin critic Alexei Navalny has gone on a hunger strike to protest the prison authorities' refusal to give him access to adequate medical treatment. His health has further deteriorated; according to his own statements and those of people around him, he now has a severe cough and fever as well as numbness in his hands and legs. Commentators see the regime critic in acute danger.