As the husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth, New Zealanders have seen Prince Philip walking a pace or two behind his wife on 10 occasions. New Zealanders have often debated the point of the Royal Family and whether this country should become a republic rather than have the Queen as the head of state. The argument has almost disappeared, particularly since former prime minister John Key reintroduced titular honours which remain firmly in place.
The Duke of Edinburgh has visited this country 10 times with the Queen and four times on his own. In New Zealand, he is most famous for giving his name to the Duke of Edinburgh Hillary awards which encourage young people to reach goals which can appear extremely lofty at 14. The awards, established in New Zealand in 1963, continue to be a popular way to encourage and motivate young Kiwis to become involved in a programme of voluntary self-development.
The duke is also known for his irreverent sense of humour and media outlets around the world are running stories about his so-called gaffes when being introduced to people. He has been called a racist and a misogynist but still, he is revered by his multitude of supporters.
Prince Philip appeared to be an ordinary bloke thrust into the public limelight when his wife’s father, King George VI, died. He served in the Royal Navy and a remarkable act of heroism by Prince Philip that saved scores of lives during the Second World War was revealed after 60 years by a grateful fellow veteran.
Quick thinking by the future Duke of Edinburgh, then a first lieutenant, foiled the efforts of a Luftwaffe bomber which looked certain to destroy their ship during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. Prince Philip conjured up a plan to throw overboard a wooden raft with smoke floats that would create the illusion of debris ablaze on the water. As he hoped, the German plane was fooled into attacking the raft while the Wallace sailed to safety under cover of darkness.
The very fact Prince Philip put the safety of others ahead of his own endeared him to a generation of war veterans; but unless the grateful veteran had made those deeds public, they would have remained hidden.
It is easy to focus on the misdeeds of the duke, forgetting the 800 or more organisations he has championed during the past 70 years.
In New Zealand he is patron of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and a life member of the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand. He is an Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Engineers, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Veterans’ Association of New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.
One of the strongest criticisms of Prince Philip came from a British columnist who wrote the duke has often been gushingly praised for doing what countless wives of public figures do unnoticed every day — putting their own careers second to that of their spouse and keeping him company as he works.
That ignores the work the duke did on his own behalf. He carried out more than 230,000 solo engagements in his long career and gave more than 5000 speeches. But there are also the many thousands of other duties he has carried out behind the scenes since 1947.
It is likely the Queen, who still carries out more than 300 engagements a year at age 91, will relinquish more of her duties to the younger royals who are thriving in the limelight.
News there was to be a royal announcement sent social media into a frenzy, demonstrating that even those who profess to be republicans, still have an intense interest in a Royal Family which has been part of this country’s history for a long time.
