Princely letter: Philip apologized to Nixon for lame toast
WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
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1of3FILE - In this June 8, 2015 file photo Britain s Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, smiles after unveiling a plaque at the end of his visit to Richmond Adult Community College in Richmond, south west London. Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.Matt Dunham/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3A floral tribute design to Prince Philip, which doesn t contain any floral foam, to be good for the environment and minimize plastic waste, by floral designer Lisa Darban is displayed to be photographed before being removed to be placed in an officially sanctioned location elsewhere in the town, in front of tributes outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, We
Known for his quick wit and willingness to be self-deprecating, Philip s brand of cheekiness didn t always go over well, and sometimes veered into racism. In 1995, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”
While visiting a military barracks, Philip asked a sea cadet instructor if she worked in a strip club, and even said to a woman who had lost two sons in a fire that smoke detectors were a damn nuisance. I’ve got one in my bathroom, and every time I run my bath, the steam sets it off.”
Known for his quick wit and willingness to be self-deprecating, Philip s brand of cheekiness didn t always go over well, and sometimes veered into racism. In 1995, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”
While visiting a military barracks, Philip asked a sea cadet instructor if she worked in a strip club, and even said to a woman who had lost two sons in a fire that smoke detectors were a damn nuisance. I’ve got one in my bathroom, and every time I run my bath, the steam sets it off.”
“I think the letter itself shows the character of Prince Philip that so much of the public in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth, and really across the world, have come to admire,” said Jim Byron, executive vice president of the Nixon Foundation. He said the letter was discovered before the coronavirus pandemic but made public this week, as a way of marking Philip s death.
“It expresses some private feelings of a moment in time that the public really doesn’t always get a chance to see,” Byron added.
Known for his quick wit and willingness to be self-deprecating, Philip s brand of cheekiness didn t always go over well, and sometimes veered into racism. In 1995, he asked a Scottish driving instructor, “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Seven years later in Australia, when visiting Aboriginal people with the queen, he asked: “Do you still throw spears at each other?”