Lucy Carne: Prince Philip’s death is yet another reminder of Prince Harry’s selfishness
If there was any confirmation that Prince Philip’s death marks the end of an era of royal loyalty, compare him with Prince Harry, writes Lucy Carne.
Opinion
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We lost more than just a man with the death of Prince Philip.
Gone too is a symbol of the past that has become so desperately rare in these modern me-focused times.
For despite attempts to caricature him as a joke or pantomime villain, the Duke of Edinburgh epitomised devoted service, sacrifice and the ‘get on with it’ attitude honed by his years of war heroics and family tragedy.
And that is what makes his passing so sad.
Not that his death at 99 years of age was a surprise. It’s even being said that within the Palace it was known he was at death’s door for the past fortnight.
But now it is just the Queen, aged 94, alone.
And what remains of the royal family without the backbone of Philip, is a very sorry mess.
Gone is the Queen’s constant presence two steps behind her side. Gone is her steadfast companion in no-nonsense hard work, humility and humour.
The duke was, as the Queen described at their 1997 golden wedding celebration “my strength and stay”.
But his attributes have seemingly failed to be passed down to the next generations of royals.
And it seems he was well aware of this flaw.
He was once asked by a journalist at a function: “You and the Queen, sir, are admired everywhere for your sense of duty. It must cause you such anxiety that some of the younger members of the family seem from time to time to let the team down.”
To which Philip reportedly snapped back: “Well, what were we supposed to do? Strangle them at birth?”
He would never have been so stupid as to fraternise with a convicted paedophile, like Prince Andrew did with Jeffrey Epstein.
While he was dedicated to protecting the environment, he would never have been as silly as to “talk to plants”, like Prince Charles.
And as a penniless European royal, who the Queen fell for at the age of 13, Philip would never have been as petulant as Prince William, who strung Kate Middleton along in an eight-year on-off relationship before marrying her.
But if there was any confirmation that his death marks the end of an era of royal loyalty and ardour, simply compare Prince Philip and Prince Harry.
Consider the Duke of Sussex’s pitiful 21-word post to his grandfather announced through Twitter’s miasma by a magazine royal reporter pal of Meghan.
While the rest of the royal family united in grief with a synchronised statement from the Queen, Meghan and Harry took a staggering six hours to respond publicly with a two-line message on their Archewell website that said: “Thank you for your services … You will be greatly missed.”
The use of the word “service” can only be interpreted as yet another stab at the royal family.
In a statement from the Queen in February, confirming that Meghan and Harry were done with their royal duties, Buckingham Palace asserted that, “it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”
The couple quickly shot back with their own statement (again released on Twitter by Meghan’s friend) that claimed: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
So to reflect on Prince Philip’s death with such a terse statement, thanking him only for his “services” seems deeply perplexing. How could it not be seen as yet another bitter swipe by the couple?
Consider also Meghan and Harry’s heartless decision to go ahead with their controversial Oprah interview, even though the duke was hospitalised and seriously ill and the Queen reportedly distressed.
But as support for the Queen now floods in from across the world, perhaps Harry and Meghan will realise their attempt to trash the monarchy was a disgraceful misstep and will not easily be forgiven or forgotten.
They have naively assumed that their Californian celebrity status could outshine a grumpy old man, who did 22,191 solo engagements, undertook 637 overseas visits, gave 5,493 speeches and wrote 14 books.
I recall covering the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee in London and being bowled over by the immense support for the duke who missed the Palace concert (watched by 17 million people in the UK) due to a bladder infection.
“But ladies and gentleman,” Prince Charles told the crowd, “if we shout loud enough, he might just hear us in hospital.”
The power of the crowd’s roar and chants of “Philip, Philip” down the Mall was overwhelming.
If only Harry was listening.
For unlike his grandfather, he has mistaken self-serving for service. He has failed to realise that charity and duty outweigh commercial deals.
And he has underestimated that a universally beloved royal is, like Prince Philip, one who quietly supports the Queen and does not abandon their family.
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