Whether you will remember him for his comments about prostitutes or Stoke-on-Trent being 'ghastly', special credit should go to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, as an outstanding man who has made an outstanding contribution to the British Royal Family and his wife, HM Queen Elizabeth II. Yet it is not just the Queen he has served well, but the United Kingdom and the rest of his family.
Before marrying the Queen and becoming Prince Consort, Philip was on course for a promising career in the Royal Navy. He served in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets during the Second World War.
When King George VI unexpectedly died in 1952 and his wife became Queen, he sacrificed this noble endeavour to serve as her Prince Consort.
During his marriage and time as the Duke of Edinburgh, he has also been a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. And on top of balancing his family commitments, he has also served as a patron to over 780 different organisations. The most famous of his schemes include the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which many millennials have participated in.
Despite the criticism the Royal Family received after Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in 1997, he played a significant role in helping the young William and Harry at the time in getting through it. Both the princes were initially reluctant to walk behind her coffin during the procession, but Prince Philip said to William: 'If you don't walk behind it, you may come to regret it.
If you do, will you walk with me?' And they all did, alongside Charles and Diana's brother, Earl Spencer.
I wish Prince Philip a happy retirement when it happens in the autumn. He definitely deserves it.
