The Freeman

Fall of a prince

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"His Royal Highness," was the title that Philip Mountbatte­n otherwise known as Prince Philip used in his formal engagement­s and activities. He was more accustomed to be styled as the Duke of Edinburgh, a title that his wife, the queen, bestowed upon him. For months, I became so invested with the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. I guess I watched too much of that Netflix series "The Crown" that one season led me to research on the family that influenced not only their country, but the rest of the world.

Prince Philip was one of the characters that I loved the most. He came from Greek descent, gave up his life and even his surname to serve the queen. It wasn't an easy feat. I know how men like to be superior because they feel like they are built that way. Their physiologi­cal structures would make them understand they have to be, somehow, the greater sex. But 70 years ago, this prince made it sure that he would go out of the way so that the queen may emerge. He even had to walk two steps behind her in royal functions. That is some man's ego being belittled there, but that didn't bug the prince at all.

As a father, he made sure his children would get the best they can. His interests and advocacies championed English technologi­es across the globe. Of course, it wasn't an easy feat because, as a human, he also had his fair share of hurt and pain, but he managed to sidetrack all of that for the betterment of the kingdom and the commonweal­th. Now we wonder, why is the whole world also mourning for the loss of a prince? Simply because, he was a king of many hearts. Prince Philip showed what it was like to come from the outside in and make a difference.

The Philippine­s does not have a monarchy. Well, we kind of did, but that part was erased by those who colonized us. But that doesn't mean that we will not learn from their lives. I'm still hoping that one day we would have a kind of leader who knows how to set aside one’s self for the country, where personal motives are often put on hold so that others may be inspired. If we try to dig deep, the Royal Family doesn’t really have a working function in running the government but their symbolism to unity is in itself work too.

I also don’t have my own prince charming, clad in royal garments but I do hope that every man would look upon the legacy and life of this prince. He stood by the queen during her ups and downs; he never made it a point to let her down because she mattered to him very much. If we can all get these types of men, then I guess there would be no abuse, cat-calling, harassment, and the like. I wish.

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