A newly-released biography and autobiography of Prince Philip has presented the senior Royal in a new light and cast a spotlight on his undying zest for life.
Prince Philip is known for his love of poetry and his strong interest in the environment and spiritual matters. He is also a survivor of racial abuse who recovered from a tough childhood and went on to marry the then-future queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms.
The Duke was born into a Greek royal family back in 1921. Following the Greco-Turkish war, his family was driven out of Greece and took refuge in Paris, France.
When Prince Philip was 9, his mother, Princess Alice, was taken to a Swiss sanatorium for treatment over her schizophrenia, prompting Philip’s father to run away with his mistress.
In the following years, before joining the Navy, Prince Philip was technically without a permanent home due to being forced to constantly switch homes and live with different aristocratic relatives.
“He gave the impression of a huge, hungry dog — perhaps a friendly collie who had never had a basket of his own and responded to every overture with eager tail-wagging,” one source reportedly said of Philip.
While the Queen has long seen something in Prince Philip, it wasn’t until four years after they first met at a play in Windsor that they got engaged.
Despite his newly-gained position in the British Royal Family, Prince Philip wasn’t entirely out of the woods yet, whereas the Queen Mother reportedly referred to him as ‘The Hun’. Meanwhile, the King’s secretary Tommy Lascelles branded the young man as “ill-tempered” and “rough” and suggested that he wouldn’t be faithful to his wife.
Despite the opposition he faced, Prince Philip was adored by King George VI who allegedly taught him how to hunt and provided him with a new set of clothes made by a Royal tailor.
Throughout the years, the energetic Prince Consort, who was known for his skyrocketing energy and love for life, helped modernize life at Palace by introducing a series of changes and staff training.
Needless to say, he was long also known as one of the most controversial Royal Family members who was involved in a series of gaffes, including the time he pinched Queen Elizabeth II’s bottom as he chased her up the stairs.
While he was often branded as “rude” and “robust” by some, Prince Philip is portrayed as “sensitive” and “kind” by those close to him.
In the biography and autobiography titled ‘THE DUKE: 100 CHAPTERS IN THE LIFE OF PRINCE PHILIP’, Ian Lloyd, a former Royal press corps member, opened up about one hundred memorable moments in Prince Philip’s life to mark the Duke’s upcoming 100th birthday.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury called him ‘bloody rude’, courtiers feared he was ‘a foreign interloper out for the goodies’, daughter-in-law Sarah Ferguson found him ‘very frightening’ and the Queen Mother labelled him ‘the Hun,’” the book’s description reads.
“Journalists have continually portrayed him as a gaffe-prone serial philanderer, with European outlets going way off-piste and claiming he has fathered 24 illegitimate children and even had a fling with a former French president. Prince Philip says ‘the impression the public has got is unfair’, though he doesn’t go to great lengths to defend himself. There is no self-serving autobiography and his interviews with broadcasters or writers are done grudgingly.
“The Duke sets out to explore the man behind the various myths, drawing on interviews with relations, friends and courtiers, as well as Prince Philip’s own words.
“Ian Lloyd brings to life some rare aspects of his character, from a love of poetry and religion to his fondness for Duke Ellington and his fascination with UFOs. Lloyd also explains why for over seven decades the Duke of Edinburgh has been the Queen’s ‘strength and stay’ – and why he is regarded by many as a national treasure”
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