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.
Opinion
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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.
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.