His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Lord Patel Excerpts

Monday 12th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Patel (CB) [V]]

My Lords, I begin by joining others in expressing my deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and all the members of the Royal Family.

My abiding memory of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is his kindness shown to me and my wife Helen. That kind nature was evident every time I had the privilege to meet him. I also have fond memories of conversations when I was enlightened by his vast and deep knowledge of many subjects, like on the occasion he gave me a lesson on lighthouses, on which he was very knowledgeable. As you would expect, there were also times when he would take a delight in teasing me and, as I learned, waiting to see how I would respond. And he enjoyed it if you returned the compliment.

Every year His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh presided over the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s gold medal awards. On one such occasion I did a citation for Sir David Lane, who discovered P53, a cancer gene. At that time he was working at Dundee University, where I was chancellor. Later, His Royal Highness congratulated me on my citation, but noble Lords can guess what was coming next. He asked: “Do you understand any of it?” I should have said, “Of course I do”, but being taken aback and trying to be polite I said, “Some of it, your Highness, but not all.” He was then interested in my role as chancellor at Dundee University. When I said that I had just attended four days of graduation ceremonies, he paused, looked at me and said, “You attended four days of graduation ceremonies?” I said yes. He said, “You’re a mug to stand doing that for four days.” He was of course chancellor of Edinburgh University at the time.

On subsequent occasions I learned not just to take it, but to try to give some back. I had to be quick-witted. I think I did win once, and then only just. He was a person I would look forward to meeting at every opportunity I was offered, for I knew that I would be enriched and be treated like a friend, with kindness, even to be teased, all in good humour. The last occasion I had the privilege to meet him was a cold wet July afternoon in the grounds of Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh. Despite many people being around him, he made sure that I had an opportunity to have a brief conversation with him—a reflection of his kind nature and ability to make you feel important. When I inquired after his health, he just said, “I’m not liking the cold any more.” Soon after that, he retired from public service.

The most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury is reported to have said that the Duke of Edinburgh lived life with the hand he was dealt. The Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita says:

“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”


The Duke of Edinburgh lived his own destiny, not imperfectly. The text goes on to say that one should live a life with purity, strength, discipline, honesty, kindness and integrity—qualities and virtues that His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had in plenty. With them he enriched us all.