Philip’s life of duty and devotion

The Duke of Edinburgh was a modernising influence on the Royal Family, the ideal consort and much more

‘Prince Philip is simply my rock. He is my foundation stone… He is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”

Queen Elizabeth’s words about the Duke of Edinburgh – said on the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1997 – would be high tribute to any spouse or partner, royal or not.

But being a member of the Royal Family, with all that it entails, is far from easy and so Prince Philip’s dedication to his wife of 73 years is worthy of greater note.

His was a life of duty and, for the most part, Prince Philip performed them well.

It may come as a surprise to some that the late Duke helped found the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 1961 – and also the Australian Conservation Foundation in 1963 – and was a dedicated supporter of conservation well before this was fashionable. “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,” he once said.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which he set up in 1956, now operates in more than 130 countries to “help young people gain essential skills, experience, confidence and resilience to successfully navigate adult life”. He did not have to create such an award and by doing so showed he genuinely cared about young people.

Clearly, as we all do, Prince Philip had his flaws. He retained some attitudes that were more prevalent in his youth but which modern society has quite rightly left behind. For some, his sense of humour was at times racist, while for others, merely politically incorrect.

But Prince Philip undoubtedly lived a life of duty and devotion to Queen Elizabeth, helping Britain’s head of state cope with the worst of times and generally acting as a modernising influence on the Royal Family.

As people in the public eye usually are, he was more than the caricature of popular imagination and there was much to admire and respect in his life.

The Scotsman would like to offer its condolences to the Royal Family.