...prince already and had been a brave sailor in the war, emphasising his loyalty to Britain by choosing the Royal Navy over the readily available Greek one. He was also an accomplished man: he could fish, shoot, play polo, fly and paint. He could make things with his hands. He was a keen reader...
...Hereditary systems tend to grow weak and inward-looking. Prince Philip was neither: he was mentally and physically tough. If he had not married Princess Elizabeth, he would surely have become an admiral. He wanted things to be shipshape, unfussy, practical, prepared for storms. His office worked like clockwork. He answered every letter at once. He was decisive, direct, unbedazzled by grandeur, unpompous. He knew that the modern world was a hard place for monarchy, but it held no fears for him, and he tried unsentimentally to adapt the institution to the age...
...Indeed, he was fascinated by the modern world, and more adventurous than his wife in studying it. Like Victoria’s Albert, but with a sense of humour, Prince Philip was keenly interested in what was new. He followed developments in science and technology. He had a feeling for business and was ahead of his time in his interest in the free-market theories of the Institute of Economic Affairs as early as the 1960s. Before the word ‘environment’ was invented in its modern sense, the Duke of Edinburgh was its advocate, partly through his long presidency of the World Wildlife Fund (now the World Wide Fund for Nature). Behind the gruff, practical exterior there was a reflective man. Prince Philip was interested in religion and analytical in his approach. In 1966, he founded St George’s House, Windsor – the centre for meetings between different faiths and denominations, believers and atheists, clergy and scientists. Such dialogue is taken for granted now, but when it began, it was bold....
...He was also encouraging. With a surprising gallantry that belied his reputation for abruptness, he would often tell the Queen on the way to an official engagement how beautiful she was looking. Theirs was an astonishing partnership – founded on love at first sight in her case, and sustained by deep mutual respect over three quarters of a century.
