KEIR SIMMONS FOR US THERE OVER
THE POND IN LONDON.
KEIR, THANK YOU.
FOR MORE INSIGHT NOW ON THE
PRINCES LIFE AND ON HIS IMPACT
ON THE ROYAL FAMILY AND BEYOND,
WE TURN TO BRITISH HISTORIAN,
ANDREW ROBERTS, AND DAISY
McANDREW, A JOURNALIST AND ROYAL
COMMENTATOR.
GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
DAISY, LETS START WITH YOU
BECAUSE AS WEVE SAID, AGAIN,
PRINCE PHILIP DYING JUST A FEW
WEEKS SHY OF THAT 100th
BIRTHDAY.
WHATS ALWAYS BEEN REMARKABLE IS
SORT OF THE EVOLUTION, IF YOU
WILL, OF THE PRINCES ROLE IN
THE MONARCHY, MARRYING THE QUEEN
AT 21 AS THAT COUNTRY WAS STILL
REELING FROM WORLD WAR II.
TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
HOW HIS ROLE CHANGED OVER THE
DECADES, ANDREW.
>> YES.
OF COURSE SHE WAS 21, BUT HE WAS
26, WHICH IS ALSO INCREDIBLY
YOUNG.
SO THEY BOTH WERE PLUNGED INTO
THIS VERY MUCH TOGETHER AND
THATS THE WAY THEY STAYED.
IT WAS -- IT WAS A REMARKABLE
SELF-SUPPORTING ACT BUT ALSO ONE
OF COURSE THAT WAS VITAL FOR THE
QUEEN IN THE WAY THAT HE
SUPPORTED HER.
AND ALTHOUGH HE DID 22,000 SOLO
APPEARANCES, HE DID MANY MORE
THAN THAT OF COURSE WITH THE
QUEEN.
YOU HAVE TO ADD THOSE ON REALLY.
>> DAISY, HERE IS A MAN WHO IS
PART OF LITERALLY GENERATIONS OF
THIS COUNTRYS HISTORY AND SO
FOR HIS ROLE NOW SUDDENLY GONE,
HOW DO YOU THINK THE BRITISH
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TAKE THIS
IN?
>> I THINK THATS A REALLY GOOD
POINT BECAUSE AS YOU SAID HE HAS
BEEN A PART OF ALL OF OUR LIVES
FOR AS LONG AS ANYBODY CAN
REMEMBER.
AND I REALLY DO MEAN ANYBODY.
YOU HAVE TO BE HIS AGE TO
REMEMBER A TIME IN BRITISH
PUBLIC LIFE WHEN HE WASNT A
PROMINENT FIXTURE.
AND I THINK THAT WILL LEAD TO A
LOT OF PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT HOW
THINGS ARE CHANGING.
AS KEIR WAS SAYING AT THE END OF
HIS PIECE THERE, TO THINK ABOUT
THE FUTURE, TO THINK ABOUT THE
NEXT GENERATION, TO REALIZE THAT
THIS REALLY IS THE END OF A VERY
LONG PERIOD OF STABILITY.
OBVIOUSLY WE STILL HAVE THE
QUEEN, BUT EVERYTHING THAT HE
SIGNIFIES, EVERYTHING HES BEEN
THROUGH ALONG HER SIDE HAS NOW
COME TO AN END IN THE WAY THAT
WE KNEW IT.
AND, YES, HE IS -- HES BEEN A
VERY POPULAR FIGURE.
HE HAS BEEN A SLIGHTLY DIVIDED
FIGURE.
HE HAS SPOKEN OUT OF TURN
SOMETIMES, BUT I THINK HISTORY
WILL LOOK VERY FONDLY ON HIM
BECAUSE HE WAS CLEARLY VERY
CAPABLE, FULL OF DUTY AND
SOMEBODY WHO THE COUNTRY AND THE
QUEEN HAVE RELIED ON FOR A VERY
LONG TIME.
>> DAISY, EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD
LOVE STORY, AND THEY HAVE BEEN
MARRIED FOR MORE THAN 70 YEARS.
SO WHAT WAS THEIR PARTNERSHIP
LIKE?
AND HOW DID IT TRANSFORM OVER
THE YEARS?
>> I THINK THE ASTONISHING
LONGEVITY IS OBVIOUSLY JUST A
PART OF WHAT THEY HAVE ACHIEVED.
THEY MANAGED TO RUN THAT FAMILY
FROM BOTH WITHIN THE PRIVATE
FAMILY AND OF COURSE THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES.
PRETTY MUCH WITHOUT PUTTING A
FOOT WRONG, AND THERE ARENT
MANY PUBLIC FIGURES WHO ARE IN
THE PUBLICS NOTICE FOR A
FRACTION OF THE TIME THAT THEY
WERE THAT CAN SAY THAT, THAT
THEY DIDNT PUT A FOOT WRONG.
OF COURSE AS YOUR PIECES WERE
SAYING, THERE HAVE BEEN MOMENTS
OF SADNESS, PRIMARILY WHEN THE
QUEEN WERE DIVORCING AND SO ON,
BUT THOSE REALLY WERE OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
PUTTING THEM IN A DIFFICULT
POSITION.
THEY ARE -- THE BRITISH PUBLIC
ARE VERY, VERY FOND OF THEM BUT
ALSO OF WHAT THEY SIGNIFY, OF
STABILITY, OF LACK OF CHANGE.
AND I THINK IN THE WORLD TODAY
WHERE WERE FINDING THAT SO MUCH
IS CHANGING AT SUCH A HEADY
SPEED, PEOPLE WILL BE THINKING
WHAT WILL CHANGE NOW, WHAT WILL
BE DIFFERENT WHEN CHARLES DOES
EVENTUALLY COME TO THE THRONE.
>> ANDREW, FOR SO MANY AMERICANS
ESPECIALLY, THEIR UNDERSTANDING
OF PRINCE PHILIP HAS SORT OF
COME OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS
THROUGH "THE CROWN" ON NETFLIX,
WILDLY POPULAR, AS YOU KNOW, BUT
APPARENTLY THAT WAS NOT AN
ACCURATE DEPICTION OF WHO HE
WAS.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRINCE
PHILIP ON THE NETFLIX SERIES AND
THE REAL PRINCE PHILIP?
>> OH, YES, THEYRE COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
ITS VERY IMPORTANT, I THINK,
FOR AMERICANS ESPECIALLY TO
RECOGNIZE "THE CROWN" IS TOTALLY
FICTIONAL.
SOME PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THAT
IT HAS SOME BEARING ON REALITY.
IT SIMPLY DOESNT.
HE WAS A LOVING FATHER.
HE WAS WELCOMING TO PRINCESS
DIANA INTO THE FAMILY.
HE WAS NOT THE ILL-TEMPERED AND
SOMETIMES BARBATIVE FIGURE YOU SEE IN "THE CROWN."
SEE IN "THE CROWN."
HE WAS ALSO A SUPERB CONSORT.
HE PUT HIS DUTY TO THE COUNTRY
BEFORE EVERYTHING ELSE AND HIS
LOVE FOR HIS WIFE.
SO YOU MUST PUT TO ONE SIDE THE
ENTERTAINMENT OF "THE CROWN" AND
DONT TREAT IT AS REAL HISTORY.
>> ANDREW ROBERTS, DAISY