Updated: April 9, 2021, 1:24 pm
The Duke of Edinburgh was famed for his plentiful gaffes (David Cheskin/PA)
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He shocked and sometimes delighted the public with his outspoken remarks and clangers.
His reputation for plain speaking often led to controversy, but he was once branded a “national treasure” by the press for his inability to curb his off-the-cuff remarks.
Philip could be relied on to say something he shouldn’t (Leon Neal/PA)
Prince Philip s most off-the-cuff remarks and gaffes that shocked the public
He often shocked the public with his outspoken remarks and clangers.
The Duke of Edinburgh was famed for his plentiful gaffes (David Cheskin/PA)
Fri, 09 Apr, 2021 - 16:24
Laura Elston
He often shocked the public with his outspoken remarks and clangers.
His reputation for plain speaking often led to controversy, but he was once branded a “national treasure” by the UK press for his inability to curb his off-the-cuff remarks.
Philip could be relied on to say something he shouldn’t (Leon Neal/PA)
He claimed he was misunderstood.
In fact, Prince Philip was “misunderstood” almost everywhere he went.
Prince Philip dead at 99: ‘He has been my strength all these years’
He was at Queen Elizabeth s side through a tumultuous reign, with a protective focus on duty, responsibility and loyalty
Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh, waving from a car in 1948. (Central Press/Getty Images)
For more than seven decades, Prince Philip occupied the ultimate supporting role, walking a careful two paces behind his younger wife, Queen Elizabeth II, as she carried out her duties as monarch. He stood tall, hands clasped behind his ramrod-straight back, as he accompanied her faithfully on every one of her 271 trips abroad, including 23 to Canada. It was a protective focus on duty, responsibility and loyalty that his grandson, Prince William, readily acknowledged: “He never takes the limelight, never oversteps the mark.”
A tribute to Prince Philip, 1921-2021 spectator.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from spectator.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
That was Prince Philip during a speech to a group of industrialists in 1961. Over 70 years of official events, he seemed determined to prove this point true. Clocking up 22,219 solo engagements before he retired in August 2017, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has died in London aged 99, became renowned for being gaffe-prone. As recently as New Year s Eve in 2017, the Duke of Edinburgh pointed at a man with a beard and asked Is that a terrorist? The then 96 year old is said to have made the comment while talking to Princess Anne as members of the family progressed to a New Year s Eve service at St Mary Magdalene church, near the Queen s Sandringham home.