Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinborough, has died. I feel a deep sense of sadness when I think of this man who, like so many others around the world, has died in a world that is so foreign to everything that he sacrificed for and fought for.
After over a year of stifling rules, restrictions and stressful family betrayals, I wonder if he died of simple old age, of grief, the vaccine or just simply thought " Oh Bugger it. I've had enough. "
When I was a little girl, my father introduced me to " The Goon Show " I don't think my brothers or my mother shared his sense of the amusing because my recollections are of just me and him sitting in what was known as the front room and sharing the exploits of such characters as Neddy Seagoon and Moriarty, Bluebottle , Henry and Minnie.
I would have been about 4 or 5 years old and, after dinner, while my Mum, known to you as " Redhead " was no doubt rounding up my brothers and chasing them with her little red slipper telling them that they had " pushed her too far this time " and they would hurtle down the hallway and scoot under the beds and laugh while she tried to whack them with the felt slipper, Dad and I would sit all comfy cosy on a chair and listen to his long playing record of the Goons. Sometimes, our pet budgie, Percy, would join us and he would crawl into Dad's pocket and get his tummy rubbed ( the budgie, not Dad) and all was good with the world. I would cuddle beside him and hold his hand and laugh when he laughed and smiled, I would join him and share that wonderful moment of " us time. "
As I thought of the sad passing of our Prince Philip this morning when I woke up, I couldn't help but wonder if he had ever shared precious moments like these with his daughter Anne? I wonder if he ever had a budgie in his pocket or a record of the Goons? Somehow, I doubt it. The image of the Duke of Edinborough in his pyjamas and dressing gown in the front room of Buckingham Palace just doesn't fit with the life he led.
While he famously once said ( about Anne ) if it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested. ", I think that could rule out a budgie , but you never know.
I know that Charles was a fan of the antics of the Goons so perhaps the Duke was as well?
I often read about people who criticise the concept of the Monarchy and how they live privileged lives and are cosseted and spoiled and nothing more than bludgers. I cannot agree with them. Not one bit. The Queen and Prince Philip have led a life of sacrifice and duty, just like the rest of us, except their sacrifice is more publically judged than ours. Every word they say is open to criticism, every action, every mistake or human slip is plastered all around the world. Worse still, in latter years, they have endured the black sheep of the family calling them to task for making him be a Prince and that was a terribly nasty thing to do. It seems no coincidence that Prince Philip's health deteriorated after the unfathomable betrayal of the Family via an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
If any member of my " firm " had been guilty of such a betrayal, being on the receiving end of Mum's red felt slipper would have been the least of their worries.
We grew up in a family where loyalty was paramount. You stuck together. If you had a difference of opinion, you spoke of it within the family and you NEVER tattle taled to anyone else. NEVER.
I looked at the last photographs of this once handsome Duke, the man who served his adopted country with enormous commitment; a man who, while not perfect, had a sense of duty that his youngest grandson could well have emulated and treated with more respect. What Harry did to his 99 year old grandfather was nothing short of unforgivable and I hope that he feels some sense of shame for having been so intolerably disrespectful, cruel and selfish to the man who walked beside him and supported him when he had to endure the grief at Diana's passing.
Prince Philip to Prince Harry at Diana's funeral: "I'll walk if you walk."
If ( and this is just my opinion ) Harry had not done that interview and had not been so bloody selfish, his Grandfather would have got his wish: to get a telegram from the Queen on his 100th birthday.
The Wuflu played its role in his passing: getting the jab with existing health conditions was not the wisest thing for a man who has lived in virtual isolation since this lurgy began. The photos the press pushed so hard of an ailing Duke and comments that he " looked as if he was already dead " shows the cruelty and lack of compassion so prevalent in today's nasty self-centred world.
So maybe it is not so much of a stretch to imagine Philip and Anne, sitting in their PJ's in a comfy chair and reading " Black Beauty " or him cuddled up with Charles listening to the Goons.
I hope so, because he deserved it.
Rest in Peace Prince Philip.
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