RIP HRH Prince Philip

Grunfeld

I can't remember how I got roped into doing a DofE award but it was a great experience.  So if Brian was responsible for that scheme in some meaningful way then I'm grateful to him.  Reflecting back on it I'd say that the taste of independence and seeing a world outside London was pretty influential. 

LordBucketHead

A good innings. I don't suppose he would have wanted to be 100+ years old ?
His eye popping eyes when he left hospital for me was the foreboding of the end.
I've seen that look many times before. The last pictures of Lemmy had those same eyes.
RIP.

Gassage

Well, he was a character for sure.

On the downside, MCC will have to reprint all of our stationary stock.

dazzajl

I’m pretty sure that if he thought you were a prick when you were alive, he’d happily still call you a prick when you died. I liked that. He’s going to leave a mighty big hole in his family I’m sure. 

Philly_Q

EricTheWeary said:

I have such a distinct memory of seeing him ( if from afar) when he visited Tipton. I've found it on google and I would have been seven, so how accurate that memory is I don't know but he did visit and did exactly the thing I remember ( opened the Tipton Sports Union, these days it is the Tipton Sports Academy).   

I have a memory of going to a tiny little airport to see Prince Charles arriving for his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969.  I was five and I don't remember seeing Charles - just the backs of people's legs.

EricTheWeary

Philly_Q said:

EricTheWeary said:

I have such a distinct memory of seeing him ( if from afar) when he visited Tipton. I've found it on google and I would have been seven, so how accurate that memory is I don't know but he did visit and did exactly the thing I remember ( opened the Tipton Sports Union, these days it is the Tipton Sports Academy).   

I have a memory of going to a tiny little airport to see Prince Charles arriving for his investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969.  I was five and I don't remember seeing Charles - just the backs of people's legs.

He arrived by helicopter on the football field at the back of my grandmother's house so I remember the helicopter more than I remember Phil. I've just been looking it up on Google Earth and I would have been half the length of a football pitch away from him. My grandmother's house still there, although looking somewhat more dilapidated than I remember it. 
There are some pictures online of the visit although I've been unable to spot a chubby seven year old in the background looking on through a lattice fence. 

boogieman

Kittyfrisk said:

I have absolutely zero interest in the royal family & would happily see them all gone, but he gave a great deal of public service & did some very good works such as the DoE awards.
So, to a fellow human being that is leaving a grieving family, RIP.

Pretty much my attitude too. My initial thought was very old privileged man dies, big deal. But he did add a bit of humanity to the pomp and stuffiness of the royals and his charity work was admirable. RIP. 

icu81b4

Born at ‘Mon Repose’ in Corfu. May he repose in peace. 

ZenOvertone

RIP, definitely feels like the end of an era...

rlw

Greatape said:

We have a slightly odd perspective on death. The guy had 99 years of living as a royal, with all the luxury and privilege that entails. I'm sure he had a grand old time. Living on at 99 years old is no walk in the park..

Not as easy a life as you might expect to start with though...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50589065

Adey

bloodandtears said:

sad.. wonder if this will trigger the Queen to step down?

No.

Bungle1

Say what you want about the man but to make it to 99 is a pretty good endorsement for inbreeding.

JamesAshworth

A life with many privileges and advantages for sure, but imagine having all that and having to effectively work until the very end.  Yes, there are many poor people who suffer that fate, but irrespective of what you think about the monarchy there's much to admire about the man.  RIP.

chillidoggy

He was a better man than some of his younger relatives will ever be. His privileged life didn’t see him leading a rock star life. 

koneguitarist

Must admit I am a royalist like a lot of ex forces as we have to swear an allegiance to the crown etc. 

Bit of an old school character by all accounts, but did his best to modernise the royal family from within. With a lot of opposition from the old school at the time. And generally brought up his kids (with exception of Princess Andrew) quite well and not spoilt. Never heard a bad word about Charles from those who served with and under him at Yeovilton. Princess Anne is incredibly hard working in a lot of areas as well. 

And as for Edward, he was failing in RM and said it was too hard for him. He could have got a free pass, but he owned up and didn’t want to use his name which I admired to be honest. 

But a family has lost a Husband, Father, Grandfather of which I am sure would upset any family. 

octatonic

chillidoggy said:

He was a better man than some of his younger relatives will ever be. His privileged life didn’t see him leading a rock star life. 

LOL, I do hope you are joking.
He was banging young society women all through the 50's.

darthed1981

RIP Your Royal Highness.

Public servant his whole life, both serving the Sovereign as her consort, and before that as an officer in the Royal Navy.

Also a cantankerous old racist, sure, but hardly rare in his generation.

RIP Sir.

Budgie

FFS, BBC have cancelled the MasterChef final!










Oh, and RIP Phil. I quite liked him to be honest, despite my general dislike for the ‘Royal’ thing.

joneve

RIP indeed, but hijacking both BBC channels with the same programming is a bit much, no? 

Newspapers tomorrow: MAN DIES OF OLD AGE. 

Tremendous innings, though. Has to be said. 

fretmeister

To shamelessly steal from facebook...

“Is it really necessary to say motherf*cker every other word?”

“Oh lighten up, DMX”