Fitting finale for an amazing life

By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana

We all have our stories to tell; how we overcame many difficulties to achieve what we have. Though he never dwelt on it, his motto being “Get on with it”, Prince Philip’s story is truly remarkable. Being the only son in a family with three older sisters born to a Greek prince and a German princess, one would have expected Prince Philip to have enjoyed every possible luxury in life. However, what actually happened was just the opposite. Just a year after his birth on 21 June 1921, his father was banished from Greece after a coup and the family had to be rescued by a warship sent by King George V; they were taken to Italy. Baby Philip spent much of the voyage on a crib made from an orange box!

After a few years of education in France, at the age of seven he came to the UK to be with his mother’s family, the Mountbatten’s though by this time his mother had been institutionalised because of schizophrenia. Soon his father too deserted the family. He was moved from Surrey to a school in Germany run by the pioneering educationist Kurt Hahn, who was forced to leave Germany because of the persecution of Jews. Philip was transferred to Gordonstoun School in Scotland, which Hahn stared; the school moulded his character.

With war looming, Philip decided to embark on a naval career and it was whilst being a cadet at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, he was delegated the task of escorting Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret while King George VI and Queen Elizabeth toured the college. Philip was able to make a lasting impression on the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Philip qualified top of the class and had a distinguished career during the war. He could have easily ended up commanding the Royal Navy but all that suddenly ceased when Princess Elizabeth, whom he married in November 1947, unexpectedly became Queen Elizabeth, on the death of her father in February 1952. As there was no defined role for the consort of the Queen, Philip had to devise that himself. When asked in an interview what his role is, he quipped “I am self-employed!”

Before his engagement, Prince Philip had to give up his Greek title and become a British citizen taking the name of his mother, Mountbatten, an anglicized version of Battenberg. Even with that he could not give his name to his children, who became ‘Windsor’s and his response was “I am an amoeba”. However, he was very thankful to his wife because she had given him a permanent residence, for the first time in his life!

In spite of stiff opposition from the palace old-guard, Prince Philip reformed the monarchy from inside very successfully, unlike some of the ladies who joined the firm and attempted manoeuvring for personal glory, without much impact. The ability of the British Monarchy to withstand all the challenges of modern day is greatly due to the innovations of Prince Philip. Being a naval officer, he was technology savvy, which facilitated the monarchy readily embracing new technology.

Prince Philip was a man with a vision. Long before self-empowerment and conservation became buzz-words, he took action. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards scheme, he started in 1956, would be a lasting testimony to his achievements. Over the years, it has enabled more than six million 15-to-25-year-olds, some with disabilities, in 130 countries the world over to challenge themselves physically, mentally and emotionally in a range of outdoor activities designed to promote teamwork, resourcefulness and a respect for nature. A successful chef in the North of England, who was interviewed on television shortly after the death of Prince Philip, illustrated this very well. He had been imprisoned as a teenager and while serving a long sentence he had won all three; bronze, silver and gold awards. When he met Prince Philip, the latter had asked “Where are your balls and chains?” Though the press may interpret this as a caustic remark, this award winner felt just the opposite. He said this comment made him relax and that was the hallmark of Prince Philip. Though he behaved very formally when he was with the Queen, at all other times he was informal and came up with great quips.

Another lasting testimony to Prince Philip is the role he played in conservation as the President of the World Wildlife Federation for a number of decades. In a lovely article titled “Prince Philip—Prince Charming, an Officer, and a Gentleman” (Daily Mirror, 12 April), Ilika Karunaratne describes not only his work as the President of WWF but also the down to earth attitude of Prince Philip. He is no doubt a Prince among Princes. The mass of flowers left at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, in spite of repeat requests not to do so because of the Covid epidemic, illustrated the high esteem he was held in and the great affection of the British public for him and the Queen.

Prince Philip was a keen sportsman, a trait passed down to his daughter Anne and her daughter Zara, both of whom were Olympians in equestrianism.

The Windsor Castle, the oldest and the largest occupied castle in the world was bathed in unusually bright spring sunshine on Saturday 17 April. A deep blue sky tinged with a sliver of cotton-white clouds showed that even nature was ready to bid farewell to a magnificent life. Inside castle walls, 800 men and women from the armed forces standing still in beautiful formations, with their heads bowed in honour. The coffin was carried on a Land Rover modified according to a design of Prince Philip, illustrating his engineering acumen.

Inside Saint George’s Chapel there were only 30 family members, complying with Covid restrictions. To his credit, PM Boris Johnson informed the Queen that he would forego his place to a member of the family. The sight of the Queen, dressed in black with a black hat and a black mask, gazing alternately at the order paper and the coffin of her husband of 73 years, is a striking memory; more so because she was all alone, separated from family, in spite of being the head of the Commonwealth that encompasses one third of the world population, showing that the virus deals an equal blow to all.

Prince Philip, unfortunately, died nine weeks before his 100^th birthday and Queen Elizabeth turned 95 during the mourning period on 21st April. That is the cruelty of life. However, even in a horrible period like the present, Britain demonstrated what it is best at doing: Pageantry, beautiful though simple due to circumstances, to bid a final farewell to the man behind the scenes for the most successful reign ever. May he rest in peace!