Offbeat marks of affection, manifestations of British humor or frankly inappropriate, even stupid remarks: Prince Philip has never ceased to feed a repertoire of blunders which the media reveled in, to the point of publishing a “best of” on each of its birthdays. Holder of hundreds of honorary titles – such as Knight of the Order of the Elephant in Denmark or necklace of the Order of the Aztec Eagle in Mexico – the Duke of Edinburgh could also have been elevated to the rank of Prince of the blunder.
Some of his jokes clearly manifested a form of aristocratic condescension, even xenophobia or imperial racism. To the President of Nigeria who received him dressed in the traditional boubou, the prince launched in 2003: “Looks like you’re ready to go to bed!” “ To an aboriginal, he asked in 2002: “Do you still fight with a spear?” “ To an Indian patron, at a ceremony celebrating the diversity of the UK in 2009: “There are a lot of people in your family tonight! “ “What exotic part of the world are you from?” “, he asked a lord of Jamaican descent. “From Birmingham”, replied the person concerned.
Other blunders by the Duke of Edinburgh must not have made those they targeted laugh. To a group of deaf children standing near a steel-drum orchestra in the Caribbean in 2000: “ Considering where you are, it’s no wonder you’re deaf ”, he blurted out. And it is hard to believe that he could have said in 2002 to a blind woman accompanied by a guide dog: “They say there are dog-eaters for anorexics now!” ”
Contrary to the rigorous formalism
The defense of guns and good old values fueled other protrusions of the prince. After a massacre in a Scottish school and in the midst of a debate on the ban on weapons, he questioned in 1996: “If a cricketer breaks into a school and kills a lot of people with a bat, are we going to ban cricket bats? ” He also claimed that “ English women do not know how to cook ”.
The Prince Consort was also known for his special way of greeting his visitors and starting a conversation. ” What are you doing here ? “, he asked an editor of the daily The Independent. “I have been invited, sire”, replied the latter. Scathing, the reply was not long in coming: “You didn’t have to come! “
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