A send-off fit for a Duke
THE sad image last year of the Queen sitting alone at the funeral of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, tore our hearts out. It was the starkest reminder of how the pandemic had cruelly robbed so many of the chance to be comforted by loved ones as they laid to rest those they had lost.
The Queen earned even deeper respect when it was revealed she had been invited to dismiss social distancing but showed solidarity with ordinary Britons by obeying the Covid laws.
Today, almost a year later, the monarch and other senior royals, as well as Philip’s friends and former colleagues, get the chance to give The Duke of Edinburgh the proper send-off he deserved. HRHTHE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH: A SERVICE OFTHANKSGIVING (BBC1, 10.30am) invites us to Westminster Abbey – where the Queen and Philip were married in 1947 – to join Her Majesty in bidding farewell to her companion of 73 years.The BBC’s broadcasting mainstay for big national occasions, Huw Edwards, takes a pew to commentate live during the proceedings; beforehand he’ll also be on the ground chatting to attendees, asking about their relationship to and memories of the Prince, and their opinions on Philip’s legacy.
It should yield anecdotes and fond reminiscences. Prince Charles and Camilla will also be in attendance with other senior royals, although, alas, not Prince Harry. Nonetheless, in paying tribute to the man the Queen called “my strength and stay”, we know this reverent, dignified send-off to her husband will mean a lot to the Queen.
Those of us of a certain vintage remember Mary Whitehouse, the campaigner who sought to clean up TV when the BBC started getting too racy for her liking. BANNED!THE MARY WHITEHOUSE STORY (BBC2, 9pm) is a two-part series recalling her ascent into the public’s consciousness and her legacy.A conservative Christian appalled at the progressive Swinging Sixties, MrsWhitehouse clacked away at her typewriter trying to alert everyone to Britain’s chronic moral slide, eventually rallying some support and getting herself noticed.
Next week’s second episode tries to reframe MrsWhitehouse as an unwitting progressive by reminding us of her stance against pornography as an industry made by men for men that exploited women: an unpopular opinion then, it’s now widely shared.
The talking heads include film director Ken Loach, LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell, both of whom attracted Mrs Whitehouse’s ire, and Gyles Brandreth, who was a member of her pornography commission.
It is an interesting slice of social history.