Duke of Edinburgh: Prince Philip's children pay heartfelt tributes to their father
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Prince Charles paid a heartfelt tribute to his father last night, saying the Duke of Edinburgh would want to be remembered as an individual “in his own right”.
Prince Philip has been widely praised for the steadfast support and guidance he gave the Queen throughout their married life.
But the Prince of Wales said he would also have wanted some of what he achieved in his own right to be recognised.
Speaking on a BBC documentary celebrating the life of Prince Philip, he said: “I think he'll probably want to be remembered as an individual in his own right.”
Prince Charles added of his father: “He didn’t suffer fools gladly so if you said anything that was in any way ambiguous, he’d go ‘make up your mind’, so perhaps it made you choose your words carefully. He was very good at showing you how to do things and instructing you how to do things.”
In a series of moving interviews the Duke of Edinburgh’s children paid tribute both to the Duke’s devotion to duty and his inspiring character.
Prince Edward said of his father’s role as Prince consort to the Queen: “It was always a challenging role to take, but he did it with the most extraordinary flair and also diplomacy. He never tried to overshadow the Queen. He’s always been that rock in the Queen’s life.”
Princess Anne said: “They needed to be a double act for a lot of that time to allow her to take on that role.”
His children also spoke of the father they knew - enthusiastic, encouraging and loving, but also challenging.
“My father was always a great source of support, encouragement and guidance. Never trying to control the activities we wanted to do, but always encouraging us,” said Prince Edward.
Prince Andrew added: “In the evening, just the same as every other family, we would sit on the sofa and he would read to us.”
Princess Anne said: “He was a person you could bounce ideas off and if you were having problems you knew you could go to him. There was a lot of leeway allowed in pushing your own boundaries.”
“Without him life will be completely different,” she told ITV News, adding: “From society’s perspective he was able to keep pace with the kind of technological changes that have such an impact… but above all that it’s not about the technology it’s about the people.”
In an interview recorded for broadcast after the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Princess Anne spoke movingly of what her father’s legacy might be, citing his steadfast support of the Queen in her role as Monarch as the chief example of his devotion to both his family and the kingdom over which she ruled.
She said of his position as Prince consort: “It must have evolved quite dramatically from the early stages. I don’t think the structure in terms of support to the monarchy was designed to deal with a consort.
“Nobody had thought about what he was going to do. And it took a while to find people who understood he had extraordinary experience and skills that they could make use of. But he also found ways he could make an impact.”
The Princess Royal added that her father’s decision to give up his career in the Royal Navy in 1951 was a mark of his loyalty to his new bride and her then future role as Monarch.
“It shows a real understanding of the pressure the Queen was going through and that the best way he could support her was on giving up on his career,” she said.
Princess Anne also told ITV that her father’s long lasting legacy would be embodied in the Duke of Edinburgh Award he founded in 1956 to give young people a structured outlet.
“He believed there were things outside [of school] which were necessary to help you develop as an individual, which played to your strengths and if that weren’t academic there were other things that would be your strength,” she said.
The Princess described her father's childhood in moving terms, saying: “He had a nomadic lifestyle – which must have been really quite difficult because he was that much younger than his sisters…The father figure was very intermittent then went and his mother struggled at that stage, so he had friends elsewhere who took him in during the holidays.
“He was virtually a refugee at this stage, because he had nowhere else to go, literally. And that probably is why Gordonstoun had such an impact.”
Speaking as part of the same series of interviews Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, described the importance of his father’s advice and support to the Queen.
“My parents have been such a fantastic support to each other during all those years and all those events and all those tours and events overseas,” he said. “To have someone that you confide in and smile about things that you perhaps could not in public. To be able to share that is immensely important.”
Prince Edward also addressed his father’s sometimes problematic public image, describing it as “unfair” and undeserved.
“The public image that certain parts of the media would portray was always an unfair depiction. He used to give them as good as he got and always in a very entertaining way. He was always able to manage interviews and say things that the rest of us always dreamed we could say. He was brilliant. Always absolutely brilliant.”
The Earl added: “He had a wonderful sense of humour but of course you can always misinterpret something or turn it against them, so it sounds like it's not right. But anyone who had the privilege to hear him speak said it was his humour which always came through and the twinkle in his eye.”
Like his sister, Prince Edward said he would remember both his father’s public work and the steadfast support he gave the Queen.
“For what he has done in his public life, for all the organisations he has supported and influenced and obviously as my father and husband to my mother and all the work that he has done there and as a family we will remember that more than anything else,” he said.
Lady Pamela Hicks, 91, a first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh, described him as “a unique man in every way.” She added: “There was nobody quite like him,” her daughter, India Hicks revealed.
A Buckingham Palace source said that there would be no comments from senior members of the family on Friday, noting: “It is a family in mourning.”
