The death of Prince Philip, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday, is a chance to reflect on a remarkable and historic life. Remarkable because he served in the unique role of royal consort for more than 70 years…and historic because his personal background was intertwined with the complex and antiquated period of the monarchy across Europe. Even the last few seasons of The Crown haven’t fully told Philip’s complicated life before he married Princess Elizabeth. I’ve assembled a couple of great reads from our colleagues at The Conversation UK that delve into Philip’s early life as a Danish and Greek prince and his role in the old politics of European monarchy. Also included here are some Royal Family stories from our archive.
The Duke of Edinburgh visited Canada more than 50 times, often with the Queen. As a young journalist working for The Canadian Press, I had a miniscule role in covering the Queen’s visit to Toronto in 1984. I was assigned a pool spot in the lobby of Roy Thomson Hall where the Queen was attending a gala dinner. My only job was to watch her walk through the lobby and make sure nothing out of the ordinary happened. All I remember as she passed within a few feet of me was her bright blue dress, her dazzling tiara and the ruby and diamond necklace she was wearing. A year later I reported on Prince Philip’s trip to the Ontario legislature for
Canadian recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. My assignment editor told me to be on the lookout for one of Philip’s infamous gaffes. (As I recall, there weren’t any.)
Frank and sometimes offensive remarks were a trademark of the Duke of Edinburgh’s time in the public eye. A good friend of mine and a former journalism school colleague Daniel Lak told a great anecdote on Twitter yesterday. In 1997, Daniel was the BBC correspondent in Delhi. The royal couple were visiting India and Daniel was in line to meet Philip at a reception. As Daniel tells it: “‘Pleased to meet you Your Highness,’ I’d been told to say and I did. Philip stopped abruptly at the sound of my Canadian accent and squinted at me. ‘Where are you from?’ he asked. ‘Canada sir,’ I said. ‘Bloody hell,’ came the reply, ‘and they let you broadcast on
the BBC?’ Shaking his head, he kept walking. I headed to the bar, to tell for the first time a story that I’d retell many times over the decades.”
Perhaps we can all join Daniel and raise a glass to the memory of Prince Philip. Have a great weekend and we’ll be back in your Inbox on Monday.
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The Death of Prince Philip
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Sean Lang, Anglia Ruskin University
Born into post-World War I European royalty, the Duke of Edinburgh came to represent the archetypal English aristocrat. Along with those 'gaffes'.
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Jonathan Spangler, Manchester Metropolitan University
The marriage of the future British queen and her consort was part of an ancient tapestry of royal intermarriage in Europe.
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Laura Clancy, Lancaster University
It turned out to be a fairly minor announcement, but the palace knows how to work the news cycle.
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Benjamin T. Jones, CQUniversity Australia
Concerns raised by the Sussexes about racism within the royal family point to a larger issue. The Windsors are entangled in a history of colonialism and racism.
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Kimberley Ducey, University of Winnipeg; Joe R. Feagin, Texas A&M University
Canadians who support the monarchy will likely not be swayed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s revelations about racism within 'The Firm.' Instead, they'll become more defensive of the Royal Family.
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Robert Hazell, UCL; Bob Morris, UCL
It's either in or out for a minor royal. A mix and match approach raises too many problems.
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Shana MacDonald, University of Waterloo
If we're ever to move past outmoded values of gender, race and class, we need to wish Prince Harry and Meghan Markle well — and challenge those who would prefer everything remains the same.
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Andrew McRae, University of Exeter; Anna-Marie Linnell, University of Exeter
Royal PR in pictures started with the Stuarts 400 years ago.
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Beware of zombie companies.
solar22 via Shutterstock
Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Daniel Merino, The Conversation
Plus a new technique to protect birds from predators – using fake smells. Listen to episode 10 of The Conversation Weekly podcast.
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