Man of many talents
Landscape painting, flying and carriage racing among host of hobbies
The Duke of Edinburgh was endlessly curious about the world around him and had a multitude of interests throughout his life.
Painting: The Duke painted in oil for much of his life, capturing landscapes on his travels and also interiors, including at least one self-portrait of him at an easel, and a candid painting of the Queen at breakfast. Like the Queen, he was a keen amateur photographer. He was also an avid collector of art. Together with the Queen, he has decorated their private rooms at Windsor Castle with works by Barbara Hepworth, Mary Fedden, Sidney Nolan and Ivon Hitchens, among
Sport: The Duke took up carriage driving at the age of 50, when arth ritis in his wrists forced him to give up his favourite sport, polo. He competed in the sport for decades, representing Britain in three European Championships and six World Championships and was still driving carriages around the Sandringham Estate at the age of 98, even after he had surrendered his driving licence following a car crash near his Norfolk base. His other sporting interests included sailing, cricket, fishing and shooting.
Flying: The Duke earned his RAF wings in 1953, and also learned to fly helicopters, before gaining his private pilot’s licence in 1959. By the time he last took the controls in 1997 he had clocked up 5,986 hours in 59 different types of aircraft.
Reading: In his library at Buckingham Palace the Duke had 11,000 carefully-catalogued books, including more than 1,000 on wildlife and conservation, 634 on religion, 781 on birds, 494 on sport, 990 on art and 600 on horses and equestrianism.
Writing: Among the books in the Duke’s library are copies of his own books. His 14 publications include Birds from Britannia (1962) and Survival or Extinction: A Christian Attitude to the Environment.
Design: Painting was not the only hobby in which the Duke’s artistic flair came out. Following the Windsor Castle fire in 1992 he designed a stained glass window for the private chapel. He also designed the engagement ring he gave to the Queen, helped to design the interior of the Royal Yacht Britannia and constantly came up with improvements and safety measures for horse-drawn carriages. He also founded the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 1959. Winners have included Sir James Dyson.
Farming: A truffle farm on the Sandringham Estate was started by the Duke in 2006, and he was reportedly the first person to successfully grow French Périgord black truffles from British soil.
The estate also has a fruit farm growing apples, gooseberries and blackcurrants.