My lunch with Prince Philip

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The husband of Queen Elizabeth II was as charming as it was provocative during a lunch with the deputy director of photography of National Geographic.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died on April 9, 2021 at the age of 99.

He never got on a bus, he never hailed a taxi and he lived for decades without having any money on him. However, Prince Philip gave off something very down to earth.

That's what I saw during a 90-minute lunch at Buckingham Palace. By chance, I was placed to the left of the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. At over 90, he was lively, educated, fun and provocative. Every year there was a lunch for the nature conservation group and I was on the advisory committee. The Prince was very knowledgeable about conservation efforts and seemed to take real pleasure in participating in this lunch.

June 29, 2011: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip return to Buckingham Palace after attending a royal garden party. The couple married in 1947. He was 26 and she was 21. They were married for 73 years.

He told me that he felt that all red deer in Britain should be culled because there were too many of them. He made me laugh when he told me a rather embarrassing anecdote that happened during one of his visits to China. The lamb and mashed potatoes flashed before my eyes but I was too busy and distracted to eat. I was afraid that a laugh would force me to spit out my Brussels sprouts.

Provocation was not an unusual trait for Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9 at the age of 99. He once said to a Paraguayan dictator: “It is a real pleasure to be in a country that is not ruled by its people. Over the years, his unfiltered humor has often slipped into tasteless jokes. Its defects have been scrutinized in full view of all.

However, during half of this lunch during which we exchanged, he was the most pleasant interlocutor of the table. I was aware that it was for him a meal among many others, but it is a moment that I will remember all my life. His gaze gave off a singular gleam and nothing escaped him.

As protocol dictates, Prince Philip signaled to me that our conversation had come to an end by turning to the guest on his right. A waiter then approached me and asked, "Would you like a glass of wine now?" »

Oh my God, yes. I don't think I've ever been so exhausted in my life.

This article originally appeared on nationalgeographic.com in English.