Prince Philip’s still got the gift of the gaffe

Prince puts fingers in ears at variety show as book records his wit
Prince Philip
Getty Images
20 November 2012

In the 65 years since he married the Queen, Prince Philip has built a reputation for his caustic wit and politically incorrect gaffes.

And he remained true to form at last night’s Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The Duke, 91, was seen putting his fingers in his ears during a song by American Alicia Keys, making clear what he thought of her.

Teen favourites One Direction, Girls Aloud, Rod Stewart and Britain’s Got Talent winners Ashleigh Butler and her dancing dog Pudsey were among the other acts who performed at the 100th variety show.

But when asked after the show what his favourite act had been, he said: “All of them ... but to be honest we’re both stone deaf.”

The Prince’s forthright verdict on modern pop stars comes before publication of a book that catalogues his recent foot-in-mouth moments, from asking Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt “Who are you?” to enquiring whether the disabled mayor of Waltham Forest had “run over anybody” in his mobility scooter.

Authors Phil Dampier and Ashley Walton say they also hope to show how the Duke of Edinburgh has often been ahead of his time on subjects from conservation to religion and the media.

Their first book Duke of Hazard, published in 2006 to mark Philip’s 85th birthday, became a bestseller. One-liners ranged from Philip’s warning that a British student would develop “slitty eyes” if he stayed in China, to asking a Scottish driving instructor how he managed to “keep the natives off the booze” long enough to pass their driving test.

The veteran royal correspondents have now published Prince Philip: Wise Words and Golden Gaffes to mark today’s 65th wedding anniversary.

Mr Dampier said: “The Duke comes across as a much more complex and thoughtful character in this book as we’ve got a lot of his wisdom too. It’s not just slitty eyes and pot bellies. It’s showing him in a bit more of a rounded light with more philosophical stuff — on organic farming, religion and the Queen. It’s not just one-line insults.”

Mr Dampier said his favourite remark was in Ghana in 1999, when the Duke asked how many MPs it had. Told 200, he replied: “That’s about the right number. We have 650 and most of them are a complete bloody waste of time.”

Mr Dampier said: “I love his contempt for politicians.”

In Bromley in May, the Prince saw Barbara Dubery, 90, in a wheelchair, wrapped in a foil blanket to fend off the cold, and asked her: “Are they going to put you in the oven next?” Mr Dampier said the book was inspired by “affection for a national treasure”.

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