Wasn’t His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, (formerly Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg of Greece) just fantastic! Just like Jesus. He had almost as many titles as me.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ghDh2IbY5bfw_J6uuUdvnhFKmzPBbgI5/view?usp=sharing
Platitude of the Day 
The death of a senior member of the Royal Family is one of the few events that unambiguously gives the established church a central role to play. It is not surprising that its heirarchy should want to grab the opportunity with both hands (sorry, ‘rise to the occasion’).
It’s not just the bishops who are occupying the airwaves. Before the old boy was even cold, the BBC had unearthed someone called Martin Palmer, described as an evangelical conservationist, who asserted (when he was not talking about himself, that is) that what inspired the Prince was his deep and abiding faith. Never mind that, in public anyway, he managed to keep it largely to himself.
The funeral is to be on Wednesday. I fear we are in for a lot more of this over the next few days.
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Nooooo! My escape plan this morning had been to tune in to Radio 4 Extra [which I do every Saturday anyway, to avoid the oleaginous “Reverend” Richard Coles]. HE’S THERE TOO!! I don’t need to know any more about the Duke of Edinburgh, thank you very much. No disrespect to the guy but his life is of little interest to me, and the wall-to-wall coverage of the last 12hours has already told me more than I need or want to know.
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I haven’t been listening or watching any of it. Although when I scrolled back on Freeview Play this morning, Have I got News for You was gone and both BBC1 and BBC2 had devoted the entire evening to HRH. I’m surprised there was that much to say about him.
I’m sorry for Betty Windsor’s loss, as I would be for anyone who loses a lifetime partner, but this seems a bit over the top.
I’m sure, in the interests of balance, they allowed 50% of the time to ardent republicans.
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Even in death, Philip overpowered my recordings of Battlestar Galactica last night. Relating it to TFTD, maybe Jesus would have been involved when they watched him Ascending past the spaceship. Hopefully I’ll find Jesus on the iplayer 🙂
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“Philip overpowered my recordings of Battlestar Galactica last night.”
The original series is showing on Horror Channel right now. Back to back episodes on Sat mornings, and evenings throughout the week.
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Is it just me (it may well be) or is that last post a bit confusing? Would it help to be familiar with Battlestar Galactica?
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I think not, Julia. It’s simply that scheduled Battlestar Galactica broadcasts were – like most of yesterday’s programming – a casualty of the breaking news and wall-to-wall Prince Philip reminiscences and tributes.
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Ah, thanks Liverpudlian for clarifying.
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The range of activities and good causes with which Prince Philip identified himself or initiated and nurtured is an impressive tally. If nothing else it shows up the silly Meghan and Harry for the small people they really are. But I don’t recall the old Duke ever talking about a personal faith – and indeed it may be, as StephenJP says, that he held one but kept it to himself. I wonder, though, what he would have made of Welby’s pious words this morning. Did Prince Philip really live in hope of ultimately resting in peace, or being raised ‘to glory in the eternal arms of the servant King;’ whatever any of that really means?
I only hope that the reduced-scale obsequies at St George’s Chapel do not turn into yet another sotto voce Dimbleby-fest. Still, rather that than the awful Rev Coles or Kate Botley.
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What I find most annoying about the coverage is the usual “The Queen/Prince/Princess etc have set aside their personal interests to serve the nation, etc”. We are constantly told that the Queen/Prince Philip appear to have done a good job but there is no way of comparing this against what someone else might have done in their position. After all, the only qualification the Queen needed to have to get her job was to be born, like all those who inherit outdated hereditary titles.
Welby tells us that Philip was a faithful man like 80% of the world’s population – well I think that is arguable. Maybe 80% of people live in communities where you are not allowed to say whether you believe or disbelieve – it is expected of you, but doesn’t mean that all of those people do so.
Like much about what we know of the royals’ personal views, we have no idea what Philip’s views were on faith that Welby tells us he believed in. Perhaps he has been able to chat with the Prince about faith, but wouldn’t it have been lovely to hear some of Philip’s acerbic views on some of the unctuous, self-serving, fawning people like Welby that he has had to deal with over his life. Maybe there will be a set of diaries in 20 years time.
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Let’s not forget that Prince Philip was a rival to Welby’s IMF by being worshipped on the South Pacific island of Tanna https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/prince-philip-death-island-tribe-b1829458.html
As “the reincarnation of an ancient warrior who left the island to fight a war and who, legend foretold, would return with a rich white wife”, Welby might dismiss Philip’s possible IMF-like status but his reasoning (it’s silly & lacks evidence?) would be interesting.
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