OPINION: It’s time to stop fawning over Prince Philip

The Duke of Edinburgh is dead. May he rest in peace. Now it’s time for us to stop fawning over him - it’s what he’d want, writes Des Houghton.

The Duke is dead. And a slice of the Elizabethan age has slipped into eternity with him. And the media must now stop fawning over Philip.

I was disappointed with much of the coverage that seemed to treat Philip like a gold-encrusted exhibit preserved behind glass in the Royal Family antiques collection.

Philip was a man’s man, a swashbuckler with an appetite for adventure. And he was a war hero. Moreover, he was a selfless man who gave a life of service to his adopted country and his woman, who just happens to be the Queen of Australia.

Prince Philip, the Duke Of Edinburgh, passed away last week at the age of 99. Picture: Ralph Heimans/Buckingham Palace/PA Wire via Getty Images

I don’t think nearly enough was made of his old-fashioned virtues like courtesy and courage. The Duke had the ability to put people at ease. I liked Philip’s oddball sense of humour. He cared not for political correctness and I suspect that is why Australians warmed to him. His cheeky remarks painted him a larrikin. He was accused of making a dreadful gaff in Cairns in 2002 on the Golden Jubilee tour when he visited a performance by Indigenous dancers in Cairns.

There he chatted to local black leader William Brin, who told our reporters covering the tour: “He just asked me if we still throw spears at each other!”

Philip seemed to forget where he was on a trip to Canada in 1969 and said: “I declare this thing open, whatever it is.”

Yuk, yuk.