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Prince Philip was a steadfast rock to Queen Elizabeth II. But the Greek-born royal who passed away on Friday at the hale age of 99 was infamous for speaking his mind.
Here’s a rundown of some of his most outrageous comments.
The “I can’t believe he said that” gaffes
Philip was known for having no filter. He would often blurt out whatever he was thinking in ways that were seen as rude or out of touch. Here are some of his most over-the-top statements:
While speaking during an official trip to Canada in 1976, he groused: “We don’t come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves.”
Speaking to a woman who had lost two sons in a fire about smoke alarms in 1998: “They’re a damn nuisance — I’ve got one in my bathroom and every time I run my bath the steam sets it off.”
Upon meeting Cate Blanchett in 2008 and being told she worked “in the film industry” he asked for some help fixing his DVD player: “There’s a cord sticking out of the back. Might you tell me where it goes?”
On being asked if he would like to stroke a koala during a Royal tour of Australia in 1992 he shot back: “Oh no, I might catch some ghastly disease.”
Meeting 13-year-old Andrew Adams who told the Royal he wanted to go into space Philip told the lad: “You’re too fat to be an astronaut.”
During a 1969 interview on American TV discussing the Royal Family’s finances he infamously moaned: “We go into the red next year…I shall probably have to give up polo.”
When along with the Queen he visited the British Embassy in Berlin in 2002 he noted: “It’s a vast waste of space.”
When a photographer who was taking a group portrait to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2015 took too long for Philip’s liking he snapped: “Just take the f–king picture!” Princes Edward and William were also present and giggled.
In 2002 after visiting the Italian premier Giuliano Amato in 2002 he snapped when asked what kind of beverage he wanted. “I don’t care what kind it is,” he barked. “Just get me a beer.”
Philip was not a fan of the Concorde plane which flew over Buckingham Palace in 2002 before it was decommissioned. “I must be the only person in Britain glad to see the back of that plane.”
In 2003 upon meeting a schoolboy named George Barlow who had written a letter to the Queen he quipped: “Ah, you’re the one who wrote the letter. So you can write then. Ha, ha!”
Meeting Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai in 2013, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban after bravely campaigning for girls to be allowed to go to school he said to her: “[Children] go to school because their parents don’t want them in the house.” Yousafazai is said to have laughed.
Philip didn’t seem to have a sense of humor about getting older noting in 2011 when he turned 90 that “bits are beginning to drop off.”
Racial insensitivity
The Duke of Edinburgh made dozens of trips to Commonwealth countries, accompanying the Queen and solo jaunts. Unfortunately, he often made comments that were decried as insulting or even down right racist:
Speaking to a British student during a visit to China in 1986 Philip warned him: “If you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes.”
Meeting the President of Nigeria, in 2003, who was clad in traditional robes he remarked: “You look like you’re ready for bed.”
In 1994 while visiting a group of businessman in the Cayman Islands he politely inquired: “Aren’t most of you descended from pirates?”
At a World Wildlife Fund meeting in 1986 he intoned: “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.”
Speaking to a Scottish driving instructor in 1995 Philip asked: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”
Upon being shown art during a trip to Ethiopia in 1965 he remarked: “It looks like the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from her school art lessons.”
While Down Under at an Aboriginal culture park in Queensland in 2002 he asked William Brim, an Aboriginal businessman: “Do you still throw spears at each other.” Brim politely replied, “No, we don’t do that anymore.”
The sexist asides
Philip is purported to have had an eye for an attractive female, and it seems he wasn’t above some clumsy attempts at flirting that made for some infamous gaffes:
While chatting with fashion writer Serena French in 1993 he asked: “You’re not wearing mink knickers, are you?”
In 2000 Philip spoke to a group of female politicians at a Buckingham Palace party whose name tags had “Ms” on them which prompted him to announce: “Ah, so this is feminist corner then.”
At a Jubilee event in 2012, he told 25-year-old council worker Hannah Jackson who was wearing a dress with a zipper in the front: “I would get arrested if I unzipped that dress.”
Meeting Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie in 2007 he asked: “That’s a nice tie… Do you have any knickers in that material?”
The “I’m not putting up with nonsense from my family” gaffes
Philip’s sharp-tongue wasn’t just reserved for meeting regular folk. He could also be short-tempered or have a zinger for his immediate family:
On the deck of the Britannia the famously short-fused Philip shouted at the Queen while she spoke to their hosts on the quay during an official visit to Belize in 1994: “Yak, yak, yak; come on get a move on.”
Describing his purportedly favorite child Princess Anne he said: “If it doesn’t fart or eat hay, she isn’t interested.”
Seeing plans for the Duke and Duchess of York’s Sunninghill Park abode in 1988 he remarked: “It looks like a tart’s bedroom.”
The “I don’t like Elton John, Tom Jones or Madonna” gaffes
We’re not sure what music Philip enjoyed but it’s safe to say it wasn’t Elton John, Tom Jones or Madonna. Despite John being a Royal Family favorite, having performed at many a private Royal celebration, Philip made it clear he wasn’t a fan:
To the “Crocodile Rock” singer, who lived near Windsor Castle: “Oh, it’s you that owns that ghastly car is it? We often see it when driving to Windsor Castle.”
While watching John sing at a Royal Variety Command Performance he was overheard saying: “I wish he’d turn the microphone off.”
Upon being told that Madonna was singing the “Die Another Day” theme in 2002 he asked: “Are we going to need ear plugs?”
On Tom Jones in 1969 he said, “It’s difficult to see how it’s possible to become immensely valuable by singing what are the most hideous songs.”
Discussing the wealthy in Britain he noted: “What about Tom Jones? He’s made a million and he’s a bloody awful singer.”
After chatting to Tom Jones after the Royal Variety Performance in 1969 he politely inquired: “What do you gargle with, pebbles?”
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