A Man Of Action And Heart

Since his passing last Friday, there has been an outpouring of expressions of respect and admiration for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. One might expect as much for someone who, for so many, many years, has been in the public eye. During his years of service he took on more than 22,000 solo engagements, 637 official overseas trips, gave approximately 5,493 speeches and worked as patron to some 800 organizations. That is action.

But amongst those who gave the expected tributes, there were many that truly spoke to the character and heart of the man, and not just his accomplishments.

This post from social media is one of our favorite remembrances of Prince Philip because it so beautifully illustrates his heart.

“MP (Member of Parliament) Norman Tebbit’s wife was partially paralyzed in the Brighton bombing. Several years later they were invited to a State dinner at Buckingham Palace. Margaret, (MP Tebbit’s wife), has real trouble holding a knife and fork and didn’t want to go but it’s a huge honour and felt she couldn’t refuse. Worse still, when she arrived she found she was seated next to Prince Philip. She was panic-stricken until he turned to a footman, handed him his cutlery and proceeded to eat the whole meal with his fingers. Of course she followed suit. That’s the sort of person he is.”

That is heart. Tomorrow at 10am ET and 7 am PT in the U.S. the funeral service for Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be televised for everyone near and far to remember his extraordinary life and pay their respects.

RIP Sir. Your duty is done.