PRINCE Harry reveals the Duke of Edinburgh ordered him to “come back alive” before he went off to war in Afghanistan.
Harry, 37, speaks out about his dry senses of humor in touching television tribute to his grandfather who died in April at 99 years old.
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Harry filmed his segment in California separately from the rest of the Royal Family.
His brother William and dad Charles were among others remembering Prince Philip in clips revealed today ahead of Wednesday’s hour-long BBC special.
Harry, in a white open-neck shirt, tells how his grandfather was always “unapologetically him”.
He says: “Going off to Afghanistan he was very matter of fact and just said, ‘Make sure you come back alive’.
Then, when I came back, there wasn’t a deep level of discussion, more a case of, ‘Well, you made it. How was it?’ [and] that’s how he was.
“He was very much a listener. He sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share but he would never probe.”
Harry, who lost his military titles when he quit royal duty to move to the US with Meghan, served ten years as an Army Captain, and was eventually stripped of them.
He was deployed twice in Afghanistan, in 2008 and 2012/13.
Days after Philip died, he issued a statement calling him the “master of the barbecue”.
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He flew back for the funeral in Windsor and was seen chatting to William afterwards despite their brotherly rift.
William also shares a hilarious anecdote about his grandfather, who was the brains behind the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
On an outing to a remote spot on the Queen’s Balmoral estate, they came across a group of young walkers undertaking an expedition for their award.
William recalls: “He stopped and wound down his window and said, ‘Good morning. How are you getting on?’
“To which the smallest young chap at the back turned round and effectively said, ‘Jog on grandpa!’” In fact, William says, the response was ruder than that.
But Philip wound the window back up, turned to his grandson and said: “The youth of today!”
William adds: “He found the whole exchange hilarious.”
‘JOG ON GRANDPA’
Harry, taking part in his first “family project” since quitting as a working royal, also praised the way he supported the Queen.
He says: “From my grandmother’s perspective, to have someone like that on your shoulder for 73 years of marriage — it doesn’t get better than that.”
Philip’s granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, emotionally reveals that he bonded with his great-grandson, August Philip — despite reports he never got to meet him.
She says: “I brought little August to come and meet him. I told him that we’d named him after him. It was such a lovely moment. We were very lucky to do that.”
Philip’s son Charles recalls the ex-naval chief’s unquenchable interest in all the Armed Forces — and how he was not shy in offering his strong opinions to generals.
He says: “Obviously the Navy was his main service. He was also very interested in the two other services.
“He read up an awful lot and thought about it and so he certainly put a lot of the generals and others through their paces if you know what I mean. He’d always thought of a better way of doing it.”
Interviews were filmed before and after his passing.
William adds: “He’s always set a very good example about how we have to look after the welfare of the military and represent them and be there for them and understands the trials and tribulations that they all go through.”
Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers was originally conceived to mark his 100th birthday.
He died just 62 days after reaching his century.
This year, documentary-makers were inside Buckingham Palace to capture his private office, study, and library as they were during his seven decades of life at the heart, or royal life.
Although the Queen is not expected to appear, she has granted permission for footage from her cine-film collection.
Clips of Philip and his children rowing a boat, while he lounges in the Scottish Highlands. More than a dozen former and current staff members pay tribute to Philip.
Prince Andrew, the son of the duke, is currently hiding at Balmoral, in order to avoid being subject to a sex abuse suit.
Others include Prince Edward and his daughter Lady Louise who has since carried on the duke’s love of carriage racing.
Relive the memories with Princess Anne, her children Zara and Peter Philips, and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, her second husband.
Meghan isn’t among those who have recorded the tributes.
Brilliant at BBQs and fans of bikers
By LEN READ
PHILIP loved barbecues and TV cooking show Hairy Bikers, royals tell the documentary.
Charles says: “He turned barbecuing into an interesting art form. But I could never get the fire to light or something ghastly so he’d say: “Go away!”
Philip would often cook at Balmoral and grandson Wills says: “Every barbecue that I’ve ever been on, he has been there cooking.
“He’s a dab hand. There’s never been a case of food poisoning attributed to him.”
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, tells the show: “I love talking to him about cooking.
He loves cooking programmes. Hairy Bikers, above, I think is one of his favourites.”
- Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is screened on Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One.
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