MY first ever meeting with Prince Philip happened on a freezing New Year’s Day at the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
It was the late Seventies and I had been stood for hours in the cold when I spotted the Duke of Edinburgh thundering towards me driving a horse and carriage.
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This picture shows the Queen arriving by carriage at Islamabad’s parliament in Pakistan. It was taken back in The Duke helping her descend from the landau by gently holding her arm was typical of his old-fashioned chivalry, as both an officer and a gentleman
As he drew near, I said, “Happy New Year, Sir!” at which Prince Philip
shot me a look and shouted back ‘Bs!”
I had to laugh, but that summed him up. He could be gruff and rude —
especially towards the press who he viewed as an irritating but necessary
nuisance — but he could also be very kind and very funny.
As head of the household, the Duke insisted on leading the royals from Sandringham to church for the Christmas service. The Queen always went by car but even at 93, he was still striding out with some of the younger members, like Lady Louise Windsor, who struggled to keep up
During a Diamond Jubilee visit to the Krishna Avanti school in Harrow, the Duke chatted with the mothers’ choir and obviously said something funny that sent them all into shrieks of laughter. He had this amazing wit, which was often misinterpreted. He knew what he was doing
Over the years, I came to know him well. When the Queen made her Diamond Jubilee speech, she said the country owed her husband a great debt of gratitude for the duty he had shown it.
And that is very true. He served Britain very, very well and without him, Her Majesty will be totally lost.
I’m honoured to say this photo is in the Windsor Castle archive. As part of her 2012 jubilee celebrations, the Queen invited Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko for lunch at the castle and their presence was a real tribute to the Queen and Prince Philip
Since the day they married, he was her absolute rock. He guided her, supported her and loved her for all those years.
She must be feeling his absence at the moment very keenly
because it is to Philip, above anyone else, that she looked for advice.
The royal wedding in 2011 was all about the golden couple, Prince William and Kate, but I love this picture of Philip sharing a joke with the bride’s sister, Pippa. I don’t think even he imagined this young girl would briefly become a bigger star than Kate
I took this shot at the Great Aussie Barbie in Perth, Australia, in It was the last day of the Queen’s tour Down Under and it was quite touching as I think both she and Philip knew they would never go there together again. A well-wisher had given flowers to the Duke and he presented them to the Queen
She knew he would always tell her the truth because to him she was
simply his wife. Although the Queen is head of State, he was certainly
head of the household.
For Philip, the marriage would change his life for ever. Philip quite liked
causing controversy.
This is my favourite photo of the Duke, taken at a carriage- driving competition at Windsor Horse Show – and visions of Albert Steptoe come to mind! Prince Philip was wiping his nose to get rid of the rain. One thing about the Duke was that he never cared much for what people thought
As a naval commander, he was in charge. But from the day Elizabeth
became Queen, he would always walk two paces behind her in public, he
would always speak to the president’s wife, not the president, the Prime
Minister’s wife, not the Prime Minister.
Even though he took his royal duties seriously, he was very fond of putting
his foot in it when he got the chance. I think he actually quite liked
causing controversy.
This is the Maundy service at York Minster in 2012. Philip was sharing a joke with theQueen and whenever this happened, there was an immediate aura of loveliness about theirexchange of smiles. It was as if the couple – wed 65 years – shared a special secret of happiness
My favourite royal Princess, Eugenie, with her grandpa at Epsom. Philip took a keen interest in the lives of his grandchildren and was very proud of them all. Eugenie and her sister Beatrice often support the Royal Family and their charities – encouraged by the Duke
Princes William and Harry once revealed how the Queen and Prince Philip found it very funny when things went wrong on a royal tour. Apparently they could get a fit of the giggles if something did not quite go to plan. Both of them shared a great sense of fun.
In private, Prince Philip was a very loving and supportive father. He may have come across in public as stern but to his children, he was a proud, adoring dad — especially when it came to Princess Anne, who is very
much her father’s daughter.
This picture was taken at Westminster Abbey at a service to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. As usual, she was beautifully turned out and the Duke was walking his customary two paces behind as he had done for 60 years. The man never got it wrong
Philip had a good relationship with all his grandchildren — and to his
staff, he was a great boss. He was extremely loyal to them and they were
to him. When one royal protection officer was offered a promotion, he
turned it down because it meant leaving the Duke of Edinburgh’s side.
When another officer was sick and in hospital, the Prince turned up
unannounced, champagne in hand.
Here’s another carriage shot, but one with a difference. It was taken on the peaceful isle of Sark in the Channel Islands, where cars are banned. So during their official visit, the Queen and Prince Philip had to rely on the local transport – a traditional horse and cart – to get around
This shot was taken at the 2013 Derby at Epsom. The Duke, who had been in and out of hospital at the time, was feeling fully fit this day and urging on a horse he’d got in the royal sweepstake. Philip loved days out at the races and he shared his passion for horses with the Queen
One of my fondest memories of Philip was a day in May 1993. The Queen was due to give a speech at the Commonwealth Institute but had accidentally left her glasses behind.
So, Philip stepped in and read it for her because he did not need specs.
This was taken at the funeral of Lady Thatcher in 2013. The royal couple appeared concerned as the coffin was carried away for cremation. The Queen would never admit to having a favourite PM during her long reign but I suspect Mrs Thatcher was Philip’s type of person – gets things done, doesn’t stand on sentiment
Even at 92 he still had perfect vision. Watching the Queen carry out her
duties alone, without the Prince standing at her side, ever watchful,
ever loving, will always be sad.
True, he could be gruff and crusty. But as a royal consort, he was
fantastic and in that role I never, ever saw him put a foot wrong.
Prince Philip made regular visits to The Celeb Report’s garden at Chelsea Flower Show, which was organised by our very own gardening guru, Peter Seabrook. In 2011, they immediately hit it off with this little chap – eight-year-old Morgan Pritchard, who presented the Duke with flowers he had grown
