Prince Philip to greet Pope on arrival at airport

THE Duke of Edinburgh is to greet the Pope when he arrives at Edinburgh airport next month - the first time the Queen's consort has been dispatched to meet a visiting head of state.

Prince Philip will be part of a small welcoming party for Benedict XVI as the pontiff steps off his Alitalia plane, code-named Shepherd One, on September 16 at the start of his four-day visit to the UK.

Also expected in line up to receive the Pope are Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Catholics, and his opposite number in England, Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster.

The Duke and the Pope will then travel together by limousine to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

There, the Benedict XVI is due to meet the Queen.

A source in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said that the move was seen as an acknowledgement that the Pope's forthcoming trip to Britain was "not just any state visit".