The death of HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh is a major landmark in the 21st century and a significant moment for our country and our Royal Family. He was a truly remarkable man for whom I have a grudging respect who achieved much, suppressed his ambitions and—mostly—his opinions in favour of loyally supporting his wife Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. But in the midst of the hagiographic headlines and extended obituaries is nobody going to give an alternative side? I had the misfortune to meet The Duke of Edinburgh twice in his capacity as Chancellor of The University of Edinburgh and mine as a Warden and then Senior Warden for the 3,500 students living in university accommodation. On both occasions he was extremely unpleasant to me. On neither occasion, when I was introduced by a senior colleague, did I say a word. On the first occasion he made a very demeaning and unnecessary remark and on the second he ignored me completely but still made a remark which, again, was unnecessary and dismissive. Whilst I remain a staunch Royalist, from close but mercifully short exposure and from his published comments I concluded that he was a rude, culturally insensitive and opinionated Malthusian.
I will maintain Royal protocol and not divulge the details of what he said. I will afford Prince Philip the courtesy, in death as I did in life, he frequently seemed unable to extend to others. Suffice to say he very obviously gravitated towards females present and paid little attention to all but the most important males. The euphemism about someone being a rude and intolerant person is ‘he didn’t suffer fools.’ Count the number of times this has been said of Prince Philip over the years and in the days since his death by folk who have clearly been treated as fools by him. Presumably, they considered it a price worth paying for a bit of Royal proximity and pressing the Royal flesh. How easily folk swap dignity for preferment and it is abundantly clear reading between every line of the lengthy obituaries and other articles that he was well aware of this and, in my view, exploited it for his own amusement. I guess nobody is perfect and I was not alone in being, unjustifiably, at the sharp end of his tongue.
I think that charges of racism against Prince Philip are probably a bit strong. But I cannot imagine maintaining my academic position for much longer if I referred to my Chinese students by the shape of their eyes or described a botched electrical job as having been done by someone from South Asia. But he did, frequently, and emerged with impunity. There is also a myth being erected around him of being appointed the head of the family and keeping it together in adversity. We will never know the precise details of any closeted family life like that of the Royal Family and I am reluctant to use anyone’s misery to make a point, but three divorces do not strike me as an example of keeping things together. One deeply damaged son—our future King—is a committed tree-hugger and homeopath, and another son is facing serious allegations of a deviant sexual nature. The third son has a loyal, hard-working and modest wife, but nobody quite seems to know what purpose he serves. His daughter, The Princess Royal, is often referred to as someone who also doesn’t suffer fools. Like father like daughter. Fortunately, one grandson, also a future monarch, is a resounding success who is devoted to duty. But the other, certainly in terms of devotion to duty, is a rip-roaring failure and an embarrassment not only to the Royal Family but to the country.
Prince Philip was a published Malthusian and at one point in his career hardly a speech or casual utterance was given without mention of the need for more ‘family planning’. He actively promoted the use of condoms (different colours for different festivals) but especially aimed this at the developing world. Clearly, he considered himself qualified to have four children where others were not. And the particular promotion of restricting family size among poorer people and those in poorer countries demonstrates his elitism and cultural insensitivity. The fact that many of his wife’s subjects may have found the promotion of condoms offensive and contrary to their religious views was inevitably laughed off as exemplifying his eccentricity. Any man’s death diminishes me (John Donne). The Duke’s death certainly diminishes me and marks an historical turning point in the life of our nation and the future of our Royal Family. But we do nobody a service, including the late Prince Philip, if we fabricate a story and peddle it as the whole truth. He was far from perfect; few would claim he was. His considerable achievements must be seen in the light of his failings and his all too human nature.
Opinions from the Unity News Network (UNN) editorial team & various contributors. | UNN always clearly distinguishes between news and opinion pieces and as an open minded outlet we publish views from a variety of people and organisation that do not necessarily reflect the views of UNN or its writers. Articles published under UNN Opinions are always opinion pieces and if published on behalf of a contributor will contain that authors name at the start of the piece.
