We were all expecting it. He was just two months shy of a century, but over the past few months he was making frequent, lengthy trips to the hospital. And yet, Prince Philip’s passing feels unsettling. Perhaps fans of the monarchy are grieving more so for the Queen and her loss than the Duke’s death itself, or perhaps the fact that he was so close to 100 that it seemed like a milestone unfairly snatched from a man who was fit and fine until the end of last year. His passing has been met with extreme reactions, with some people mourning and crowding outside the palace while others making memes about the racist comments he passed frequently.
Whatever it may be, the polarizing reactions that Prince Philip’s death has met with are much like the life he led. To understand his life and the legacy he leaves behind, it’s important to rewind a little bit.
Born in 1921 in Corfu, Prince Philip was Queen Victoria’s great-great-grandson, which made him a distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. His childhood was troubled, to say the least. In the first twenty years of his life, he saw his paternal empire of Greece and Denmark fall, faced intense hardships at boarding school, saw his favourite sister die in a plane crash along with her fetus and also saw his mother fall victim to schizophrenia, and battle several atrocities at the mental asylum she was sent to.
A childhood as traumatic as this could scar anyone for life, but it also shaped Prince Philip’s attitude and beliefs. His childhood gave him no space for vulnerability, he had to adapt and for the lack of a better word, ‘toughen’ up.
Philip first met Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, in 1939. He was 18, and she was 13. The monarchy was in a fragile state and Elizabeth had just become first in line to the throne, post the infamous abdication of Edward VIII. Philip left for the navy soon after meeting Elizabeth and the country was in the midst of World War II. They struck a friendship soon after, which blossomed into a romance. Eight years later, after the war ended, they got married to each other in 1947. All seemed well, and their first son Charles was born in 1948 followed by Anne, their daughter in 1950.
However, no one in the family was prepared for what the next few years would bring upon both Elizabeth and Philip. As a tumor in George VI’s lung developed rapidly, he had to get the organ removed. His health began to deteriorate and by early 1952, he was gone. Elizabeth, at just 25 years and 10 months had become Queen, flooded with responsibilities and duties she wasn’t prepared for. She was also thrust into the limelight, leaving Philip behind in the dark. Philip’s ego overtook his responsibilities initially, and he had a hard time adjusting to a life in his wife’s shadow, but that’s when his ability to adapt helped him, and after multiple failed attempts at earning the palace’s respect, he found a midway. He earned their respect but also learned what he had signed up for - a life in second place.
As Elizabeth settled into her new job, Philip did so too. Now, there have been multiple rumours that suggest Philip’s unfaithfulness towards Elizabeth, however it has been denied by Palace on all accounts. Therefore, without divulging into that I want to talk about something as problematic, bad parenting..
Prince Philip’s style of parenting was modern for its times but seems awfully old-school and insensitive today. Modern, because most children from aristocratic backgrounds would not be sent to a boarding school far from home, and especially ones as strict and rough as Gordonston.
He wanted to treat his children with the same toughness that he had faced as a child, and while that approach worked for Anne, it didn’t for Charles. He was brash and cold towards him, something which haunted Charles for quite a long time, especially since he was bullied severely at Gordonston.
As the Queen’s reign continued, Philip became a little less assertive. Perhaps age, experience and a supposed midlife crisis slowed him down. In fact, the media has documented many genuine instances of affection and sensitivity from the Prince post the 1970s. In fact, his sensitivity often extended to his late daughter in-law, princess Diana. They did have a strained relationship towards the end, but yet, he supported her in times when no one else did. This was an anomaly for a man who was usually quite thick-skinned.
Public opinion about Prince Philip, has always been mixed. A section of the UK's population loved him for always standing beside the Queen while others criticized his remarks, behaviour, attitude and parenting style. A section of the media called him, very famously, a “gruff curmudgeon”.
And yet, despite all his flaws and shortcomings, Prince Philip leaves behind a legacy that has helped in building the monarchy’s foundation.
Back in 1952, Philip was the first person to advocate for the Queen’s coronation to be telecast, a perspective which was met by strong opposition from nearly everyone around him. He knew that if the British monarchy didn’t adapt, it wouldn’t survive. After all, he observed firsthand what happened to a monarchy that wasn’t able to keep up with changing times, and he knew too well that the same could happen to the British monarchy if they weren’t careful. In 1969, he also planned the filming of the infamous royal family documentary. Even though it was a disaster, it began the process of the family embracing modern ideas and technology. Prince Philip gave the nation and world a new way to look at the Royal family, and gave them more definition than just rich people who unveiled plaques. Prince Philip stood for modernization, he can also be seen as an icon of empowerment. He proved that a male ego isn’t as important as supporting your spouse, and that it’s okay for a man to be number two in a marriage. While Prince Philip might not have actively sought such an image, he conveyed it. He conveyed it by standing by and standing up for his wife. “He is my rock”, the Queen once said. A fitting description. Prince Philip was quite like a precious stone. What is a precious stone if not a tough, old rock that does well under dire circumstances?
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