The Duke of Edinburgh marked his 80th birthday with a family celebration yesterday. After a church service at St George’s Windsor, where the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner, told the congregation: “You have come to wish happy birthday to a man you respect and love,” the royal family and their distinguished guests returned to Windsor Castle for a reception and, later, lunch for 80 people.
In the Waterloo Chamber, the Queen toasted her husband of nearly 54 years in front of 450 guests. “I cannot believe you are 80,” she said. “I speak for all the family and everyone here; thank you from us all.” As a nod to Prince Philip’s speech in the Guildhall last week in which he said he remained fit and well thanks to all the toasts to his health, the Queen stated: “It is important to me personally to propose yet another toast to your health.”
“I am not sure I recommend being 80; it’s not so much the age, but trying to survive the celebrations,” said her husband in his reply. The party was the biggest gathering of royalty since Prince Edward’s marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones. As well as the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, who arrived in a wheelchair pushed by her son Viscount Linley, all of Prince Philip’s children and grandchildren attended. Only Prince William, who is finishing off his gap year in Africa, was absent, and Peter and Zara Phillips attended the private lunch. Prince Harry, who towers above his father now, chatted animatedly with 28-year-old Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, one of the Duke’s great-nieces, as they left St George’s.
Other royal guests included ex-King Constantine of Greece, fresh from his grandson’s christening, and Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. But all eyes were on the Duke and his eldest son, Prince Charles. Last month a newspaper claimed that there was a right royal rift between the two, but father and son could not have seemed closer, chatting animatedly on the steps outside the chapel. Perhaps the Dean’s sermon, in which he paid tribute to the Duke’s character, had struck a chord. “Everyone here knows what they owe you, not least loyalty, encouragement, inspiration, example and sheer stickability.” But the Duke, continued the clergyman, “would not want any fuss, just a word of gratitude for a good example set and a word of hope that it would long continue.”
The Duke was presented with a bronze statuette of Storm, one of his favourite carriage driving horses, which was a gift from Royal Household staff. And his sister-in-law, a keen ballet aficionado, organised 20 boy dancers from the Royal Ballet School, and had them perform a specially choreographed Duke’s Hornpipe. At the end of it they produced flags and wished him happy birthday in semaphore.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
