By James Bradley
Prince Edward has caused controversy after commenting on the death of a teenage hiker in Australia this week. After being asked for a comment, rather than just stating his sympathy and sending his wishes to the family, the royal decided that he should go one step further and make a comment that would make his father shed a tear in pride.
Prince Edward stated that the risk of death is appealing to teenagers and young people when it comes to hiking and other activities. Though in my experience teenagers with an interest in death don’t usually spend their time hiking mountains or white water-rafting.
However when it comes to gaffes there is one man, nay hero, in the UK that is somehow able to get away with flagrantly absurd comments without raising much more than a chuckle from the public.
Prince Phillip is this man; somehow he has been able to get away with more gaffes than a Big Brother contestant. Everyone has their own favourite Prince Phillip quotes; I myself am quite fond of: “If it doesn’t fart or eat, she isn’t interested.” A comment on his own daughter Anne, which tells you pretty much all you need to know about the Queen’s hubby.
However, there are a few differences between Prince Phillip and a Big Brother contestant. A Big Brother is only in the spotlight until we get bored of them or their sex tape has poor production values; Prince Phillip is there for life.
And bizarrely enough some of these comments do spark controversy and even anger from certain groups; for the most part his eccentric, almost fantastical views on the world are embraced by the people of the UK.
Why is this though, for what reason do we love these streams of consciousness emanating from what can only be called a true member of the aristocracy? (Mainly because it’s more polite than saying ‘a complete nutter’)
For those against the aristocracy it seems to be an affirmation that people born with blue blood are so completely separated from reality that they are unable to fathom that anything they say could be anything other than completely right and utterly hilarious. And not what those on the receiving end of these statements probably believe i.e. a complete berk.
Those for the aristocracy seem to believe that it’s right for someone with such status to be able to say what he feels, and not be restricted by so called ‘political correctness’. However it should be said that there is a definite difference between being politically correct and having common sense.
However as the years pass and this pillar of respect and solidarity grows older, who will take his place when the unfortunate day comes and he is laid to rest? Who can take the place of the man who once gave his wisdom to several visitors to the orient warning them of the risk that their faces may transform to fit into the society they were now staying: “If you stay here much longer you’ll all be slitty-eyed.”
There can be only one man who can take his place, and that is Prince Edward his son. A man who said that the British media “hates anyone who succeeds”, and spent most of his time trying to create television shows that frankly nobody wanted. This is the man to be the pride of Britain, and our representative to the world, though hopefully not to any country that has an army which is more than five men with a spear.
But why do we need someone who can say these things? Why do we need someone who acts as though he has been pulled straight out of the 1920’s, given a suit and pushed in front of a bunch of foreign dignitaries and given free reign? Well in my opinion, it’s just a bit of a laugh really.
