In light of the news that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has sadly passed away at the age of 99 on 9 April 2021, commemorate the royal's many years of service with a look back at his most memorable quotes...
SEE: The Queen's husband Prince Philip dies aged 99
WATCH: Prince Philip sadly dies aged 99
- To the Queen after her coronation: "Where did you get the hat?"
- On meeting an Australian man who introduced himself and said, "My wife is a doctor of philosophy and much more important than I am," he replied: "Ah yes, we have that trouble in our family too!"
READ: Prince Philip's sweetest family pictures with his children and grandchildren
- To Tom Jones after his Royal Variety Performance in 1969: "What do you gargle with, pebbles?"
- During Elton John's performance at the show in 2001: "I wish he'd turn the microphone off!"
- To Elton John himself, his neighbour in Windsor, on learning he had sold his gold Aston Martin: "Oh, it’s you that owns that ghastly car – we often see it when driving to Windsor Castle."
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Philip and the Queen at Windsor Castle in 2014
- To BBC news reader Michael Buerk, who replied that, yes, he did know what the Duke of Edinburgh scheme was: "Well, that's more than you know about anything else then."
- On the dark red uniform worn by pupils of Queen Anne's school in Reading: "It makes you all look like Dracula's daughters."
- To expats in Abu Dhabi: "Are you running away from something?"
RELATED: Prince Philip obituary: The Duke's incredible life from childhood to duty
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Philip sharing a laugh with locals during a visit to the Czech Republic in 1996
- Meeting a fashion designer in 2009: "You didn't design your beard too well, did you?"
- To a group of female Labour MPs: "Ah, so this is the feminist corner then!"
- To a group of industrial workers: "I have never been noticeably reticent about talking on subjects about which I know nothing."
- On his school days: "I was not the least aware I was any different from any of the others. It's true I had this title of Prince, but it's surprising how you can live it down. My favourite subject at school was avoiding unnecessary work."
- His assessment of the £18million British embassy in Berlin, opened by his wife: "It's a vast waste of space."
- After learning that Prince Edward had been admitted to Jesus College Cambridge with a C and two D grades at A Level: "What a friend we have in Jesus."
- Concluding a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1968: "As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut."
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