Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on December 25, 2017 in King s Lynn, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Paying tribute to his grandfather, Prince Harry said: He was authentically himself, with a serious sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm - and also because you never knew what he might say next. He will be remembered as the longest-reigning consort to the monarch, a decorated serviceman, a prince, and a duke. But to me, like many of you who have lost a loved one or grandparent over the pain of this past year, he was my grandpa: master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right til the end, BBC s coverage read.
A BBC article, for example, lists some of the prince’s most “memorable one-liners that can make some people chuckle and others cringe”.
It recalls the time he told British students in China that they’d become “slitty-eyed” if they stayed in the country much longer (1986), and notes his remark about an old-fashioned fuse box looking “as if it was put in by an Indian” (1999).
As Nadine Dreyer wrote in the Sunday Times, Philip s “admirers can take comfort in the knowledge that he was an equal-opportunities offender, insulting people of all races and all walks of life”.
Whether intended to be humorous or not, many of Philip s comments were problematic, and have led to him being called out as being a “sexist” and a “racist” on social media.