Happy 99th Birthday to Prince Philip. Wow. 99.

[Siwsan]

Born in Greece, into Greek and Danish royalty, great-great (I think) grandson of Queen Victoria, WWII Veteran, husband of the Queen of England and the patron of some 800 organisations. Like him, or not, he's led a pretty interesting life, and 99 is a pretty impressive age for anyone to attain. I recently watching a very candid documentary on his life, covering the good and the, well, self-serving aspects of his personality. Playing second fiddle to his wife has not been easy, for him, but he has carried it off, well. In the end, it convinced me he is one of the most interesting people on the planet. I hope he surpasses his mother-in-law's longevity, which was 101 years.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Dear prince: don't go for a drive. NT

[Siwsan]

2. And that includes both cars and horse carriages!!

I've heard so many people say that the hardest thing for them to have to give up was driving. It was certainly a struggle with my mother.

I absolutely HATE driving so I'll probably be able to keep on, for years to come.

[melm00se]

3. The British Royal Family

seems to live an awfully long time despite the in-breeding that is historically rife thru European aristocracy.

[Siwsan]

4. The Queen and Prince Philip are something like 3rd cousins

I think the biggest issue with the British royal blood line was Hemophilia from those descending from Queen Victoria.

The Royal lines that REALLY suffered from catastrophic physical defects caused by inbreeding seemed to happen in France and Spain. Especially the Hapsburg line. Well, them and the Egyptians. Scary.

[murielm99]

5. The older he gets, the more he and his son

resemble each other.

I hope he is around for a while yet.

[Aristus]

6. I don't have as much warmth for him as has been expressed here.

He has been shockingly racist in the past.

I can only assume President Barack Obama gently eased that particular feature out of him. If a dog in his nineties can learn new tricks that way, I'm cool with it...

[Siwsan]

7. He is definitely a very complex individual. Not surprising, given his background.

I struggle with the racism issue. My mother, and members of her family, held views that made me cringe. It was just how they saw things and nothing I could say would sway them. They had all been raised in all white, middle class neighborhoods, and all of their friends and acquaintances were just like them. There was no curiosity about how others lived. No interest in meeting people who were from different circumstances. All I could do was focus on their positive attributes.

We are all a balance of good and bad. Some of us are just better at opening our hearts and minds.

[appalachiablue]

8. Crude, racist remarks by Philip are well known,

along with all-mens clubbing and escapades he enjoyed for years during his marriage, esp. between the births of Charles and Anne, and younger sons Andrew and Edward.

Perhaps it comes from living in Germany for years, having 4 sisters who married German aristocrats, (three also Nazi SS Officers) and were uninvited to the wedding of Philip & Elizabeth in 1947.

In contrast, Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Greece was honored for aiding and protecting Jews from persecution by fascists in Greece during WWII.

Racism and anti Semitism were just a 'part of the times,' is the usual explanation. In any case, I have little regard for such an arrogant, insensitive person who married up and into the royal family, and did very well in life as a result.



--> Some of Prince Philip's Greatest Hits (gaffes):

* 'Your country must be half-empty': Prince Philip cracks Filipino nurse joke on tour of hospital.' The Independent.

Prince Philip, the 91-year-old who is well-known for his off-the-cuff remarks, made the comment during a visit to open a £5.5 million cardiac centre at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

- He was heard telling the nurse: "The Philippines must be half-empty - you're all here running the NHS."

During the visit the Prince described his mood as "jovial" and also joked he was the "world's most experienced curtain puller." He also asked when the hospital would be getting a helipad to save him from the journey by car.

- The Duke's most famous remark came during a 1986 state visit to China when he told British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed."

- Prince Philip also once told a group of deaf youngsters "Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf," referring to a school's Caribbean steel band.

- In 1995 he asked a Scottish driving instructor: "How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?"

- "Ghastly." Prince Philip's opinion of Beijing, during a 1986 tour of China.

- "Ghastly." Prince Philip's opinion of Stoke-on-Trent, as offered to the city's Labour MP Joan Walley at Buckingham Palace in 1997.

- "You managed not to get eaten then?" To a British student who trekked in Papua New Guinea, during an official visit in 1998.

- "You can't have been here that long – you haven't got a pot belly." To a British tourist during a tour of Budapest in Hungary, 1993.

- "Damn fool question!" To BBC journalist Caroline Wyatt at a banquet at the Elysée Palace after she asked Queen Elizabeth if she was enjoying her stay in Paris in 2006.

- "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian." The Prince's verdict of a fuse box during a tour of a Scottish factory in Aug. 1999. He later clarified his comment: "I meant to say cowboys. "I just got my cowboys & Indians mixed up."

"People usually say that after a fire it is water damage that is the worst. We are still drying out Windsor Castle." To survivors of the Lockerbie bombings in 1993.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/your-country-must-be-half-empty-prince-philip-cracks-filipino-nurse-joke-on-tour-of-hospital-8504356.html

[Siwsan]

9. Well, it won't be long before he's dead, and people can celebrate, if they like.

[appalachiablue]

10. I will say that from what I've read, Elizabeth and he

managed to forge a strong commitment and seem to have enjoyed a long marriage of contentment. As a girl she was certainly drawn to young, handsome Philip and at the time her loving father King George with whom she was very close was ill and dying. I agree that it wasn't easy for Philip to have to walk behind Elizabeth, not have his children take his (German) name and other issues.

In a newer film, on Netflix I think, they emphasized that Elizabeth said 'she wanted a happy marriage' (with Philip). Look at the unhappiness she witnessed with her heartbroken younger sister Margaret who was denied marrying Peter Townshend, the man she loved and ended up with rotter Snowden.

Philip was Elizabeth's choice and clearly she loves him- so damn, he's a lucky man! The Queen I think possesses great strength of character and is one of the best monarchs in English history.



PS Philip, typical authoritarian made young Charles attend that cold, tough boarding school where he was miserable and wanted to leave, but the Ogre! lol, made him stay to try to 'toughen him up.' Philip is responsible for a lot of how Charles, a more sensitive person in some ways developed I think.

It's been claimed that Philip basically gave 32-year-old Charles an ultimatum to 'settle down,' and unfortunately Diana, who I just adored was the target.

(I lived in England for a semester and came to like the people and country a lot).

[Siwsan]

11. The CBC ran a very frank and candid documentary on him. Quite an eye opener

King George wasn't too pleased. Lord Mountbatten, Philip's uncle, really pushed the relationship, for his own advantage. He helped 'negotiate' the compromise of the combined surname of Mountbatten-Windsor and had specially designed ties made, with an M atop a W. I'm a big admirer of Lord Louis but this was quite a side to him.

But the relationship certainly worked - 70+ years together. I worry what will happen, with her, when he's gone. They said his rather wicked, bawdy sense of humor has been one of the things that has helped her get through the isolation at Windsor.

I've spent quite a bit of time in the UK, myself. I hope I can return to Wales before I shirk off this mortal coil.

[appalachiablue]

12. I saw a documentary similar to what

the CBC ran, esp. Mountbatten's involvement in Philip's early years with Elizabeth. A clever man Louis, but I didn't realize he was quite that influential. It makes me remember seeing a film, maybe the one referenced about Louis trying to arrange a relationship between Charles, his great nephew and his granddaughter Amanda Ellingworth in the 1970s.

There's a section about this in the *Wiki for Amanda (below), but it's not quite the same as presented in what I saw which implied the two began seeing each other, got on, but were basically broken up somehow. Whether it derived from Philip or Louis, or others I can't recall.

(Years ago at a BBC event in the U.S. I briefly met Lady Jane Wellesley and knew that she had dated Charles; a very pretty young woman).

Elizabeth did enjoy that witty humorous side to P., and how she'll get along when he's gone I wonder too. Although not the same, she has the beautiful grandchildren, and William & Kate, Harry & Meghan who I hope have a happy, safe life together wherever they reside.

I'd love to return esp. to see Dorset and Wilts where my paternal side originates. After college there were several more trips to England and Ireland, mostly rushed and on business so I hadn't the time to explore any family genealogy there.

My mother and her mother saw Edward Windsor in a motorcade in NYC, 1930s-40s; Dad was in the Bournemouth area before heading to France and Germany in WWII; in Cambridge I saw the Queen Mum at a shopping center dedication. At a Yorktown, Va. ceremony my sister and niece saw Queen Elizabeth II. We follow the Royals a bit! lol.

~ Like millions, Diana's loss moved me greatly. The same summer, weeks before the accident, in Paris we stopped by the Ritz and drove through that tunnel going to a restaurant. (My dear younger brother about the same age as Charles Spencer resembled him in appearance with red hair and complexion and in closeness to his sisters and family).
~ Nice chatting, I know little about Wales but have always had an interest.

Amanda Ellingworth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Amanda_Ellingworth

P.S. Did you catch the PBS (BBC?) program, 'The Rebel Princess' about Margaret; a happy childhood with her parents and sister, and ups and downs later.

[Siwsan]

18. I knew how close he was to Prince Philip and Prince Charles

As for Margaret, I think it is always difficult to play second fiddle to the monarch, and even to the monarch to be. Look at Prince Andrew and Prince Harry. Even George VI, who's personality couldn't have been more different than his brother's, had a pretty miserable youth - plagued with a horrific stutter. The 'special' sibling is the focus of the family, the government and, often, the world. Eventually the second in line must feel that contrast. It's probably especially hard when there are only 2.

As a side note, I got to see Lord Mountbatten when I was in London for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. I was star struck. Admittedly not as star struck as when I stood about two feet from the Queen, but it was still a big WOW moment in my life.

[appalachiablue]

19. Lucky you seeing Mountbatten and so close to

the Queen at her Silver Jubilee, a monumental occasion to experience in life.

In the 'Rebel Princess' film on Margaret, the matter of the separation w/ Elizabeth was covered. How the two girls were brought up very close, like a pair when young. But as Elizabeth began to move on and prepare for the role of monarch as was always known, it created a gap and an altered relationship with her younger sister. To her credit Eliz. tried to intervene and help Mgt. when she wanted to marry Townsend to no avail.

I've also known regular siblings who were almost like twins when young, but went through some of that as they got older and one began to 'outshine' the other usually in terms of talent, looks, stability and success or moves away. C'est la vie. We have several cousins like that, male & female.

[tblue37]

13. In the pic on the right he looks like Charles. nt

[Kaleva]

14. Happy Birthday Prince Phillip! He's had a long and interesting life.

[TristanIsolde]

15. Time just marches forward

Their is no escaping the slide towards oblivion, that sometimes keeps me up at night, not wanting to waste some of my short time on Earth by sleeping.

Hope Prince Philip lives as long as he wants.

[Siwsan]

16. That is a perfect comment!

[TristanIsolde]

17. Thank you Siwsan