How Prince Philip used his wit and wisdom to charm – and outrage – the world
From his family and women to the Scottish and the Armed Forces, no subject was off limits for the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip will always be remembered as one of the funniest royals
Credit: Leon Neal/PA Wire
As the Queen’s consort for more than 70 years, the Duke of Edinburgh had his serious side. Obviously.
But decade after decade in a role that others might have found tiring and tiresome, he cracked jokes and never fought shy of speaking his mind.
Some of the comments may have bordered on the offensive (and many others probably just were offensive) but the world will, in truth, be a sadder and poorer place for the gaffes and gags Prince Philip will no longer be around to tell.
48 of Prince Philip s greatest quotes and funny moments
The Duke of Edinburgh was always known for speaking his mind
British women can t cook (in Britain in 1966).
What do you gargle with? Pebbles? (speaking to singer Tom Jones after the 1969 Royal Variety Performance). I declare this thing open, whatever it is. (on a visit to Canada in 1969). Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed (during the 1981 recession). If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it. (at a 1986 World Wildlife Fund meeting).
His sharp-tongued wit may have raised eyebrows, but those on the receiving end of some of Prince Philip’s off-the-cuff remarks have paid warm tribute to him.
Designer Stephen Judge, who was teased by the Duke over his goatee beard, said the encounter had become a badge of honour.
‘To this day, I can remember word-for-word exactly what he said,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. ‘He shook my hand and asked me, “What do you do?” I told him I was a designer and he said, “Well, you are obviously not a hirsute designer.”
Designer Stephen Judge (pictured), was teased by Prince Philip over his goatee beard at a Buckingham Palace in 2009. He said the encounter has become a badge of honour
BBC News
Published
image captionThe duke on a visit to a Luton hospital in 2013
Despite the DoE s many achievements in a long life of service, some will remember him as a man who was often blunt, sometimes to the point of giving offence.
His supporters always said his sense of humour was misunderstood and his remarks often taken out of context. And he himself was not unaware of his reputation - he once described himself as a cantankerous old sod .
Here are some of his most well-known lines, in chronological order. You may find some of the quotes below offensive.
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)