Philip savages Phil: How king of daytime TV met his match in interview with Duke
HE may be the king of daytime television, but presenter Phillip Schofield met his match when offered the interview of a lifetime with Prince Philip.
In a one-hour special to be shown tonight to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), the notoriously dour – and sometime cantankerous – prince made clear he had little time for Schofield’s apparent sycophancy.
When the presenter revealed he would take part in a wing walk to raise funds for the scheme, Philip, in his typically pithy manner, asked: ‘Who is trying to get rid of you?’
He then added brusquely: ‘Are you going to stand there on the wing and say “hello folks”? I wouldn’t open your mouth if I were you.’ In another conversation, in answer to a particularly obvious question, a dismissive Philip replied: ‘What am I supposed to say?’
But Schofield is not the only celebrity to have drawn the duke’s ire. Comedian David Walliams told the programme he had been called a ‘nut’ by Philip in front of his mother.
Recalling his meeting with the Duke and the Queen, Walliams said: ‘It was the year that I swam the Channel and he asked, “Is this the nut who swam the channel?”
‘And he went, to my mum, “Any more nuts in your family?” To which my mum said, “No, just the one Prince Philip,” as he walked out the door.’ But there is little doubt that even at the grand old age of 95, Philip is still very much on the ball.
After one interview, the visibly impressed Schofield told the cameras: ‘He is as sharp as a pin. There was no question, more so than any interview that I’ve ever done in my life, I was just thinking: one false move, one wrong word and he is going to be on me like a terrier.’
Other celebrity tributes to the prince include actress Joanna Lumley, who said: ‘I think he is an extraordinary character. He rides, sails, drives horses, fishes and swims and does stuff. He really could have been James Bond, actually.
‘And he was a naval commander as well, like Commander Bond. He is good fun to be around but he is quite shy. I think sometimes at some huge event I have seen him say, “Oh God I have to do that.” But then he puts his head up, chin out and goes and does it.’
At one point in the programme Schofield attends a private screening at the British Film Institute of home footage of the Royal Family. It includes Prince Philip playing with his sons and, in one scene, he lobs what appears to be dried cow pats at Charles to bat away with a stick.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award was founded by Philip in 1956 to encourage young people to push themselves. The scheme has now expanded to 144 countries.
When Phillip met Prince Philip: 60 Years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is on ITV tonight at 9pm.