Karen Dolby - The Wicked Wit of Prince Philip

OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES

The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill

The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen

The Wicked Wit of Charles Dickens

The Wicked Wit of Oscar Wilde

The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by

Michael OMara Books Limited

9 Lion Yard

Tremadoc Road

London SW4 7NQ

Copyright Michael OMara Books Limited 2017

All rights reserved. You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-78243-882-3 in hardback print format
ISBN: 978-1-78243-903-5 in e-book format

www.mombooks.com

Contents

Its my custom to say something flattering to begin with so I shall be excused if I put my foot in it later on.

PRINCE PHILIP, SPEAKING IN 1956

F amously outspoken, Prince Philip has not always been popular with liberals. But then hes never tried to be. Always defiantly his own man, throughout a record seven decades as the Queens consort, his gaffes have become legendary. He has been labelled reactionary, and lambasted for remarks that range from mildly crass to insultingly bigoted. He has a habit of saying aloud what others might think but never dare voice. And yet these days he is widely held in affectionate regard, attracting far more fans than outraged critics. In a world of political correctness where no one seems to say what they mean, and fake truths are considered normal, there is a refreshing directness about Prince Philip. His no-nonsense approach to life combined with his outspoken honesty and obvious devotion to the Queen is appealing. He is seen as straightforward. What you see is what you get. Plus, the man is funny.

His cousin Countess Mountbatten has said of him, He always speaks his mind, sometimes not necessarily with a high degree of tact. But, on the other hand, I think that people have come to expect that of him, and they really rather enjoy it and they think, how nice to hear somebody actually say what they think.

The actor Joanna Lumley commented, You get the impression of meeting a bird of prey, a hawk or an eagle, theres something absolutely penetrating about the eyes, you feel like youre being scanned. You raise your game, you rather hope hell like you. In tribute to the Prince on his retirement, she added, I think hes an extraordinary character. He rides, sails, drives horses, fishes and swims and does stuff. He really could have been James Bond And he was a naval Commander as well. 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.

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough had this to say of the Prince: Hes formidable, hes daunting, partly because of his position, but also because he is a very considerable intellect. The first time I met him, it was absolutely clear that if you turned up and you hadnt mastered the papers, he would detect it very quickly and you would be in trouble.

In seventy years of public service, Prince Philip has been the Queens right-hand man. On state occasions and tours, he has always been there, supporting her throughout all the ups and downs of her long reign. Their marriage is seen as the backbone of the monarchy. In a touchingly warm tribute to her husband, the Queen said on their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1997, He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.

The Prince has also had his own role to play. As patron or president of more than 800 organizations and charities, he has made nearly 5000 speeches, and his varied interests include conservation and the environment, science and technology, naval history, flying, wildlife and horses, writing and painting.

Through the years he has always cut a smart figure. He appears stylishly dignified, looking as comfortable in dress uniform as he does in casual sportswear, ever since he first arrived on the public stage as the young Princess Elizabeths fianc. In 2016, GQ magazine ranked him twelfth on their annual Best Dressed list; in fact, he has been a regular on the list since it started. In the words of Dylan Jones, editor in chief of GQ and chairman of London Fashion Week Mens, The Duke is the quintessential best-dressed man, someone for whom tradition and heritage are all important. Britain needs great ambassadors and hes one of our best. And man, those suits!

At the age of twenty-one Philip wrote to a relative, I am rude, but it is fun. At the age of ninety-five, the Prince was still having fun. When news broke on 4 May 2017 that he was retiring from public duty he quipped, Standing down? I can barely stand up.

Following on from The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II, this book focuses on the life and times of her indomitable husband, and is told through stories, anecdotes and most especially through his own unedited words. Indeed, looking back over a lifetime of memorable quotes from the Prince, it is clear that there is a great deal of knowledge, wisdom and genuine wit among the more notorious Philipisms something that he is not always given credit for.

Yet, while we may be fascinated by the Princes gaffes, he remains nonplussed and slightly puzzled by all the fuss. I rather doubt whether anyone has ever been genuinely shocked by anything I have said.

He has a remarkable ability to put people at ease, and most are charmed by his humour, even those who are the subject of the joke. With a deft word and off-the-cuff remark, Prince Philip can defuse the tension from the most formal of royal occasions, sending onlookers into fits of giggles at his latest one-liner.

I dont think I have ever got up to make a speech and not made the audience laugh at least once, he said in an interview in 1999.

Timeline
of Prince Philips Life

1921 Prince Philip is born on 10 June 1921 to Princess Alice of Battenberg and Prince Andrew of Greece at a house called Mon Repos on the island of Corfu. He is a Prince of Greece and Denmark and, as such, his name at birth is Philip Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glcksburg. He is the youngest of five, with four older sisters.

1922 The family are forced to flee into exile following a military coup in Greece. The eighteen-month-old Philip is carried aboard HMS Calypso, a Royal Navy rescue ship, in an orange box. The Princes family go to France, living in a house lent to them by his aunt, Princess Marie Bonaparte, in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Cloud.