An elegant ambassador for the best of British style
The Duke could carry off any outfit with panache while never detracting attention from the Queen
FROM THE formality of state occasions to frolicking on the lawn of Balmoral with his young children, the Duke of Edinburgh had an innate sense of appropriateness in how he presented himself through his wardrobe.
That’s because the Duke was acutely aware of the need to be immaculately dressed and in keeping with whatever situation he found himself in, while never detracting attention from the main attraction; the Queen herself. Always a step behind Her Majesty, but always there as a show of support.
Because just as Her Majesty has always struck that fine balance between stateliness and ceremony while never looking showy in terms of her dress, so too did the Duke look polished and proper, but never forced.
He was a regular in the fitting rooms of Savile Row since his early courtship of Princess Elizabeth, and patronised the more steadfastly traditional tailoring institutions such as Gieves & Hawkes, Kent, Haste & Lachter, and Turnbull & Asser.
The Duke historically veered towards classic, handsome suiting; single-breasted jackets in navy (although he was statuesque enough to make a double-breasted work, too), smart coats in heritage tweeds, and a focus on restraint and refinement. All of it was exceptionally cut, all the better to compliment that 6ft frame. With shoulders back (that military upbringing) for uprightness and hands behind his back, it helped him carry off a suit with panache.
“Prince Philip was quite simply one of the best-dressed men in the world,” says Becky French, creative director of Turnbull & Asser, which was also responsible for some of the Duke’s most elegant white tie attire. “Up until the age of 99, he always looked impeccable, with his naval blazer, shirt and tie.
“Never a slave to fashion, he knew how he wanted to dress and perfected that style over almost a century. He was a loyal customer of Turnbull & Asser and we are all incredibly sad to have heard of his passing”.
The Duke remained active well into old age, and his passion for sporting pursuits and the outdoors parlayed into how he dressed off-duty, in relaxed polo shirts (a nod to his favourite sport) or less formal shirting. In the vast array of images, there’s one that stands out as an example of the pristine simplicity city of style. Taken at a polo match in 1961, the Duke of Edinburgh nburgh was in relaxed mode, sipping a beer. Hair slicked back, ck, lean and polished, he wore ore an easy, checked cotton shirt, collar undone and sleeves eves rolled up, riding breeches s and tortoiseshell sunglasses. nglasses.
Nothing revolutionary, but pin-sharp and elegant.
It’s testament to the Duke’s allegiance to the British military – and perhaps illustrates his sentiment for that period of his life in Malta – that the Prince continued to opt for ceremonial, officious dress. His cavalry red Irish Guards tunic glistening with medals, crests, bullions, braiding and aiguillettes and embroidered epaulettes offered up a suitably decorative display alongside the Queen’s most exuberant dresses; it was a sartorial double act that served them well.
Those naval uniforms were made by Gieves & Hawkes, who supplied the Duke’s livery alongside everything from caps to swords. He bowed out of his naval career in 1951 19 but continued to fly the flag from the th military through his style, mo most sentimentally in a portrait taken last las year, during the pandemic, to mark hi his 99th birthday. The prince wears t the Household Division tie, a nod to his days in the Welsh Guards, and h his blazer was in fact a Grenadier Guar Guards boating jacket that had been given t to him by the widow of a close frien friend who’d served alongside him. Sir Eric E Penn had scoured the g globe for buttons from each d decade of the monarch’ monarch’s reign, having them sew sewn on to the jacket. Upon his passing, Prince Philip inh inherited it and wore it pr proudly in the picture.
From tr traditional tweeds at Balmoral Balmora to the full pomp and cerem ceremonial swagger of tailcoats, th the Duke’s wardrobe h helped define what was a very di difficult role to fine-tune. It ta takes a formidable man to hold hi his sartorial own against JFK, bu but he did so with aplomb in polis polished evening wear in 1961.
It was a form of costume that sat harmoniou harmoniously alongside Her Majesty’s Majesty’s, and ensured that he struck a balance between look looking immaculate and proper, w with the right sense of prese presence – but never at the cost of d detracting from her regal spotl spotlight. In doing so, he was the fine finest ambassador for the very be best of classic British style.
‘Prince Philip was quite simply one of the best-dressed men in the world … he always looked impeccable’