A genuinely humble gentleman whose true character shone away from the spotlight
Beneath the public gaffes and headstrong opinions was a Duke so passionate about his work that he conducted much of it without seeking publicity
One of the hallmarks of greatness is to do good for its own sake. A huge amount will be written about the Duke of Edinburgh over the coming weeks celebrating his life, his achievements and, doubtless, his personal idiosyncrasies. As with any major figure on the national – in this case, world – stage these accounts will capture the public record, but how much will they capture of the man himself?
I had the privilege of seeing something of the Duke at close quarters during the 10 years I worked for the Prince of Wales. He was a towering presence at any event and any meeting, not just because he was the Duke of Edinburgh, but also by the way he made his presence felt. He spoke his mind. He had a deep sense of humorous irony. His observations might often cut against the grain of the argument in train. They could be blunt, trenchant, sometimes acerbic. But they were always insightful, informed, and adept at opening up the unthinkable or laying bare what had been imperfectly thought through.
Few conversations with him followed easy or accepted lines. To find yourself approached by him at a reception was always a moment to be on your mettle: his opening line would invariably be unexpected, and he could always meet a witty response with one even wittier. “Are you still here?” he would often ask when he saw me yet again in a receiving line at Westminster Abbey. The style was a hallmark, and one which never failed to raise a, sometimes nervous, smile.
The Duke’s wry sense of humour gave him over the years a reputation for misjudged remarks. At times they caused offence to those who wanted to be offended. But his humour was intended not to offend but to lighten the atmosphere. Many people meeting a senior member of the Royal family for the first – or only – time in their lives would lose both confidence and reason. I recall a very senior Egyptian businessman on meeting the Prince of Wales during a visit to Cairo dropping to the floor in a perfect curtsy as he was introduced. The Duke was only too well aware of the problem.
Humour could lance the intimidating atmosphere of a brief conversation and make possible, as no other gambit could, a more productive talk on things that actually mattered. It was a style perfected by the Duke, which other members of his family use to great effect.
This was entirely different from his approach to the serious issues about which he was well-informed and cared deeply – young people, the environment, the Armed Services, technology, the role of monarchy, the spiritual. As the Duke himself explained, there was no formal role laid down for the husband of the Monarch. He spent his life in devoted support of the Queen – both as consort and husband. I have a fond memory, early on in my time in the Royal household, of the Duke leading the Queen on to the dance floor at the annual Ghillies Ball at Balmoral.
But his life was much more. He also took up causes which mattered to him.
And those interests not only reflected serious personal passions, but were sustained over more than seven decades of committed service to our lasting benefit. Some have earned him a global reputation: we have all come to appreciate what the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards have contributed to the self-confidence and determination to achieve of young people across the world. But I recall vividly from my own dealings with his office in Buckingham Palace the extremely wide range of his interests and the immense amount of time he gave loyally to the hundreds of charities and organisations of which he was patron. Much of that work was done entirely out of the spotlight. Who now remembers, for example, the tens of millions of pounds he helped raise for Westminster Abbey during the 1970s and 1980s towards restoring its fabric? He gave his service because he cared with genuine passion for the causes to which he gave his energy and commitment.
This profound concept of service and duty, to me, goes to the heart of the Duke of Edinburgh’s extraordinary contribution to the life of Britain, the Commonwealth and the world at large. The importance of these qualities should never be diminished. At every level they represent the work of countless charities and individuals dedicated to improving lives and safeguarding the world around us. That attitude was writ large in the Duke himself. He employed to the full, throughout his long life, his ability to give leadership and encouragement to people and organisations dedicated to those ideals.
He did so, as those who had the privilege of seeing his work a little more closely than many witnessed day by day, without thought for personal glory or public thanks, but because he believed in the work he did, because he knew this was the right thing to do, and because he could use his exceptional position to make a difference for the better. He was able to persuade, to cajole, to organise and to celebrate an extraordinary range of people and causes which have helped make parts of our world better than they would otherwise have been.
That is the hallmark of a greatness which the Duke himself would never have acknowledged. And for that reason alone, as the Queen said on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1997: “This and many other countries owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know.”
Our hearts go out to the Queen and all members of the Royal family. And we all share in the greatness of their loss.
‘To find yourself approached by him at a reception was always a moment to be on your mettle’