Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Looking back on an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life.

Since his death on April 9 at the age of 99, so much has been written about the Duke. Outside his family and inner cycle, the world came to ‘know’ Prince Philip through photos and anecdotes, some of which offered amusing insights. Such personal glimpses have featured in Reader’s Digest as far back as the 1950s, and each one reveals an ordinary person, living an extraordinary life.

Fumbling With the In-laws

“Philip was generally ‘a cheerful riser, leaping out of bed’ but on some days he would turn over and not want to be disturbed. [His newly appointed valet, John] Dean, had a job trying to make him look smart, with his heavily repaired suits, well-worn shoes and his habit of putting his hands in his jacket pockets, causing it to lose its shape. When Philip first wore a kilt at Balmoral in August 1947 [following his engagement on July 9], he attempted to make light of his embarrassment by performing a mock curtsey to the king, which did not go down as well as he’d hoped.” From Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life. © 2011. By Philip Eade, Reader’s Digest condensed version

Prince Albert of the Jet Age

“Philip had long evinced an interest in science and technology, and in 1951 he accepted the presidency

of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He made a considerable impact with his inaugural address to the Association in August 1951, ambitiously titled ‘The British Contribution to Science and Technology in the Past Hundred Years’. Philip had been preparing the speech for months in his cabin aboard HMS Mag

pie, which to his steward’s exasperation became strewn with books and papers supplied by Sir Harold Hartley, secretary of the Association, who was to become his scientific mentor.

“The press gave Philip’s lecture a highly enthusiastic reception ... Not everyone was so appreciative. Harold Macmillan [a Cabinet Minister at the time] noted caustically ‘I fear this young man is going to be as big a bore as Prince Albert and as great a trouble ... It was really much better when royalty were just pleasant and polite, with the appropriate courtesies or the simple truths which both George V and VI have done so well’.” From Young Prince Philip

Identity Crisis

When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited India in 1961, they were taken around the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. The captain of the volleyball team was so tense during the introduction that he could only stutter, “Sir, I am volleyball.”

“In that case,” said the Duke, offering his hand. “I am polo.” RD Filler, contributed by A.K. Singh, November 1980

Meeting and Greeting

He is seldom at a loss for the right word. At one meeting, when a man thrust his PhD wife forward, explaining, “She’s much more important than I am,” Philip replied kindly, “We have the same problem in our family.” From ‘Philip: Prince With a Purpose’, RD March 1966

At the Coronation

When the Queen rested brief ly in the chapel following the Coronation, Philip, pointing to the imperial state crown on her head, whispered, “Where did you get that hat?” From ‘Philip: Prince With a Purpose’

Self-Deprecating Wit

At a meeting in England of manufacturers of ‘manmade fibres’, Prince Philip patted himself ruefully on his balding head and then brought down the house with the remark: “I’m not very good at producing manmade fibres myself.” RD Personal Glimpses, November 1968

As Visitors Abroad

When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the US in 1957 they visited a supermarket. As they walked down an aisle together, a woman bustled up to the Prince. “Aren’t you supposed to be walking two steps behind the Queen?” she asked.

“You’re quite correct, madam,” Philip replied. “But I think it’s all right. You see, yesterday we sat

together at a football game and we became quite chummy.” RD Personal Glimpses, October 1959

Overdone Baloney

Prince Philip has been criticised by the Tripe Dressers of Britain for using the name of this fine old food in a derogatory sense, to mean something of little value. Our language is going to lose a good deal of its colour if there is equal sensitivity among the makers of applesauce, the growers of corn, tomatoes and small potatoes, and the breeders of bulls. RD Press Section, May 1963

A Friendly Force

The Duke of Edinburgh’s natural breeziness sometimes becomes a bit gusty. Once, carrying his suitcase and polo boots along a second-floor landing in a friend’s house, he was stopped by a young officer who begged, “Oh, sir, let me take them down for you!”

They were standing at an open window. Philip said, “Thanks awfully, but this is much easier – my car’s just below,” and threw everything out the window. RD Personal Glimpses, September 1956

Good in a Crisis

It was a stormy crossing on the Canadian destroyer HMCS Crusader – the ship chosen to convey the royal visitors to Vancouver Island. The ship’s company was keyed up to do better than its best. At teatime, a nervous petty officer, a silver tray of tarts balanced on one hand, knocked and entered the royal suite and came to a smart stop. The tarts kept on going, and soon were all over the floor. The young PO’s feeling of horror quickly changed to amazement as Prince Philip crept about on hands and knees, picking up half the tarts. Then, sitting down, the Prince grinned at his wife (then Princess Elizabeth) and engagingly announced, “I’ve got mine – yours are down there.” RD Personal Glimpses, May 1968

End Note

“Philip never liked sycophancy, yet neither did he take well to criticism. He exhibited a contempt for journalists, and yet he also collected cartoons aimed at himself. If he was sometimes contemptuous of those who reported his diplomatic faux pas, he was nevertheless also happy to declare himself a specialist in ‘dontopedalogy’, as he called it, ‘the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it’.

“He could be a martinet and a bully – especially towards his eldest son – however, at other times he was disarmingly sensitive towards the plight of others. He was a bundle of contradictions. Yet nobody can dispute that he has performed his principal role of supporting the queen with utter devotion.” From Young Prince Philip