Prince Phillip

[chickadeeee]

His passing is very sad, however aibu to be annoyed about the constant reference to him 'giving things up' to be the Queen's consort.
How many women 'give up' their lives when they get married, would the conversation be the same if he were King and his wife had passed away

"his cousin" meaning Philip's cousin, not the Duke of Kent's cousin, though with European royal families one can never be sure.

@Lockdownbear

The time they met when he was 18 she was 13, was Elizabeth getting a tour of the Navy base with her parents King and Queen.

I suspect that it was a planned introduction as it seems very random to me to leave her with just a random 18 year old sailor.

She wasn’t “left with” anybody!

The story goes her parents were taken on a tour of the base / college, she was taken by Philip who entertained her by larking around jumping over tennis nets and stuff.

@Lockdownbear

The story goes her parents were taken on a tour of the base / college, she was taken by Philip who entertained her by larking around jumping over tennis nets and stuff.

I don’t know why you keep saying base . It’s the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. George VI was a cadet there himself. The visit was a huge event. She wasn’t “taken around by Philip”. There were always other people there (including her nanny!) There’s even a Pathe newsreel. Gives you some idea of the numbers involved!

How is ‘slitty eyes’ not malicious?
When Chinese parents used to tell their student offspring not to get "round eyes" in the west? Both versions of jocular remarks should be taken in the manner in which they were intended, indeed those who've actually met him did take his humour as intended - it helps as an ice-breaker. It's the tabloid press who love sensational headlines shrieking about "what he said this time".

Garbage, if a Chinese dignitary rocked up to Britain and started slagging someone’s looks off there’s absolutely no way people would laugh it off as ‘jocular’. It’s offensive and he shouldn’t have said it.

.

How many people have told their spouse if they don't like their driving they can get out of the car, i certainly have.

It’s offensive and he shouldn’t have said it.
Agreed. I'm an anti-monarchist who had a soft spot for Prince Philip so I'm all over the place on the subject generally, but that comment was right out of order. And before anyone chips in with 'but things were different then', people said so at the time. I bet the queen kicked his arse.

@Deadringer

How many people have told their spouse if they don't like their driving they can get out of the car, i certainly have.

I have said it and have had it said to me.

Well, except for the hissy fit about the kids not having his surname

I have always found this a trifle irritating, especially since the name that he wanted them to have was actually his mother's name, anglicized. Which also brings to mind that as to his meeting Elizabeth in 1939 and subsequent courtship when she was older, that was orchestrated to a significant degree by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Philip's uncle. And supposedly it was Louis's bragging that the "House of Mountbatten" is on the throne after Elizabeth's accession that set in motion the let's keep the Windsor name business.

As to Philip's depth of knowledge on various subjects, he was known to be very intelligent and curious, a trait he evidently inherited and was encouraged in by his grandmother Princess Victoria of Hesse, who was a surrogate mother to him in his childhood and youth.

@Deadringer

How many people have told their spouse if they don't like their driving they can get out of the car, i certainly have.

I simply stopped being prepared to drive if my ex was in the car, because of the constant stream of silent (and sometimes vocal) criticism. This meant he could never have a drink at any family get-together or party after which I might otherwise have driven us home, and had nobody to thank or blame but himself.

(I have never had an accident. He has. Our adult children find his driving terrifying. Ah well; he's an ex and I never have to suffer it again.)

@SenecaFallsRedux did he see much of his grandparents growing up?

I think his childhood sounds pretty awful. Given his dad seemed to have abandoned him I can see why he wanted to take his mother's family name.

I don't know how often he saw his grandmother, but I know that he has mentioned her influence on him, and that he corresponded with her on a regular basis when they were not together. By all accounts she was a woman with a formidable intellect.

I think both him and HMQ are very intelligent people.

So much is coming out about him, weird I kind of knew about Uncle Mountbatten but never really thought about his actual parents or grandparents.

I read something recently about him being asked, years ago, what language he’d spoken at home, and he snapped that he’d never had a home.
Which is true, really
He turned out pretty well, considering.

I read that too, although the version I read was 'what do you mean home'.
Apparently in guest books up until he was about 25 he'd write 'no fixed abode'
I think he spoke German, French and understood some Greek but didn't speak it.

According to what I've read, English was Philip's first language (which makes sense because of his mother), but that he was fluent in French and German, as well.

English was often spoken to each other by royals from different countries (as it is today) as it was often the language that most of them had in common. This was often true of married couples as well (Nicholas and Alexandra of Russia spoke and wrote to each other in English, for example.)

He was very hands on in both the design and running of the DofE Award.
He also was known for supporting the kids when operating authorities were shown to be unfair to them. He described the award as one of the most important things he had done with his life.

I think it is fabulous that so much attention is being given to Philip's unswerving devotion to supporting his wife's needs. Isn't he a being held up as a wonderful example of somehow who could have had a spectacular career of his own, who was clearly extremely talented in his own right, but chose to do set that aside for something he considered more important - his wife, his Queen, Britain, the Monarchy? I think that is bloody brilliant. I contrast my own grandfather, my own father... Philip appears positively enlightened.

I'm not a Royalist, I'm not especially fond of people fawning over privileged people who have so very many advantages in life. But in this case I think it is very positive for it to be pointed out that men can have a happy and fulfilled life whilst letting their woman take the bigger role and have the glory.

@osprey24

He was very hands on in both the design and running of the DofE Award. He also was known for supporting the kids when operating authorities were shown to be unfair to them. He described the award as one of the most important things he had done with his life.

It really did surprise me how hands on he's been with the scheme. I'd always assumed it was someone else / corporate body, who'd came up with the idea and he'd just endorsed it, like a celebrity putting their name to something.

OK he was inspired by his school and an amazing head teacher, and engaged him to open up those ideas to the masses.

It was pointed out that when he and the Queen were doing walk about meeting crowds he'd lift little kids over the barrier to let them deliver their flowers to The Queen.
A really sweet touch and a real soft spot for children.