[owenmcfadzen]

Let us remember some of his grace:

“If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit)

“I declare this thing open, whatever it is.” (on a visit to Canada in 1969)

“I hope he breaks his bloody neck.” (when a photographer covering a royal visit to India fell out of a tree)

“Do you still throw spears at each other?” (in Australia in 2002, talking to a successful Indigenous Australian entrepreneur)

“Where did you get that hat?” (supposedly to the Queen at her coronation)

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-phili...

[k_sze]

“If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.” (at a 1986 World Wildlife Fund meeting)

I really should be offended by this, but... XD

[celticninja]

Well its not far off the mark today, let alone 3 decades ago.

[eis]

So supposedly they're eating tables, angels and boats? :)

[ed_elliott_asc]

Also when he visited a driving school in Scotland and asked how they kept the natives away from alcohol long enough to team them

[JUNGLEISMASSIVE]

That is almost certainly banter.

[Hamuko]

As a Finnish person, I can appreciate the straightforwardness.

[Redoubts]

Sorry, could you explain what’s straightforward about the first quote?

[Hamuko]

Mostly the racism.

[b112]

Was curious as to the 'whatever' it was, took a bit of Googling, so:

http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2010/05/quote-prince-philip.h...

[ephextom]

The full context of the "spears" comment in Australia:

"[Prince Philip and the Queen] were coming down the [cable car] and we were putting on a special performance," Warren Clements recalled.

"We had royal fever so we said 'Let's go out the back and throw some boomerangs and spears and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of them as they come down'.

"They waved and we were showing off. I think Prince Philip took that in and that's why he said it.

"He's been taken out of context."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-03/prince-philip-was-not...

[sesuximo]

He lives 99 years. Most of it in the public’s eye and lots of it in an era where once common ideas are now considered abhorrent. Seems unsurprising to find these quotes and uninteresting to post them

[kwonkicker]

Cant argue with almost any of it. I said almost (for legal reasons)

[Hasnep]

Sorry, are you saying he was right to say those things?

[JUNGLEISMASSIVE]

I'm playing the Devil's advocate here, but these seem like instances of dark British humour being delivered in the traditional deadpan fashion - the humour being in the absurdity of someone keeping a straight face while saying something obviously inane or offensive.

It doesn't translate at all across cultures.

[maybeOneDay]

I can see that argument for some of them, but if anyone said the slitty eyed or spear throwing comments to me and then tried to pass it off as "it's just british humour mate" I'd laugh in their face.

[samizdis]

Quite so, and you'd be right to. But Prince Philip also came out with some decent quotes - some arguably typical British humour and some others just his thoughts:

- I would like to go to Russia very much — although the bastards murdered half my family.

- Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, which I've practised for many years.

- You're just a silly little Whitehall [civil service] twit: you don't trust me and I don't trust you.

- I don't care what kind it is, just get me a beer.

- So you are the people tearing down the Brazilian rainforest and breeding cattle. [This was when he was a figurehead for the WWF.]

- Anyone who is concerned about his dignity would be well advised to keep away from horses.

Anyhow, it is a shame to lose an entertaining tradition. Also a shame to lose someone with such character from the royal family. Only Princess Anne has the same outspoken, blunt manner and a penchant for the odd swearword.

[sloaken]

You had me at: >- I don't care what kind it is, just get me a beer.

[celticninja]

Oh some of it is definitely colonialism inspired racism. I just find it weird how OP grouped what are certainly jokes in with the rest.