The Duke of Edinburgh praised Prince Philip as an “extraordinary mind” as he shared his favorite memories of his father in a rare interview to mark his 60th birthday.
Prince Edward also revealed that his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, is his “rock” while sitting down with gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh on ITV’s Love Your Weekend.
He said his late father, who died in April 2021 aged 99, was “brilliant with people”, even if at times he “didn’t necessarily come across that way”.
“He always, always cheered everyone up,” the Duke of Edinburgh said. ‘You kind of needed to get to know him.
‘He was simply an extraordinary man. He was the Prince Albert of our time. He had an extraordinary mind. ‘He loved design, he loved innovation.’
The Duke of Edinburgh praised Prince Philip as an “extraordinary mind” as he shared his favorite memories of his father in a rare interview to mark his 60th birthday.
Edward said his late father, who died in April 2021 aged 99, was “brilliant with people”, even if at times he “didn’t necessarily seem that way”.
Prince Edward, who turns 60 on March 10, revealed some of his most lasting memories of his father, including teaching his daughter Lady Louise, 20, how to drive a carriage.
He said: “It was completely on his own… he took her out with the team and I think it was only the second time, he was driving and said, ‘Do you want to try it?'” And she didn’t even have time to answer the question. she asks, he simply handed her the reins.
“We are very lucky, we have two of what we consider especially bright children, who are forging very different paths.
“I think that’s equally fascinating too.”
During his conversation with Titchmarsh, Prince Edward also paid tribute to his wife Sophie, who he described as his “rock”.
He said: “I’m incredibly lucky to have found Sophie and that she found me.”
He and Sophie, 59, have been married since 1999 and met at a promotional photo shoot for the Prince Edward Summer Challenge two years earlier.
The couple have two children together: Lady Louise and James, Earl of Wessex.
Prince Edward, who turns 60 on March 10, revealed some of his most lasting memories of his father, including teaching his daughter Lady Louise, 20, how to drive a carriage.
Prince Edward seen with the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, in July 2005.
Queen Elizabeth with Prince Edward in Windsor, Berkshire, 1965
When asked about adjusting to his new title as Duke of Edinburgh, Edward said it had been a “great privilege” but had also given him “a lot of expectations”.
“I mean, there’s a huge legacy that came with that title and everything my father had done,” he continued.
‘Especially when you don’t inherit it, this is a choice… that comes with all the expectations that people have.
‘It’s just the strangest, strangest feeling. You walk into a room and, especially nowadays, there are places with names on a card and I still look around and say, “Yeah, but where am I sitting?”
The Duke carried out a series of engagements with the Duchess of Edinburgh earlier this week, ahead of her milestone birthday.
He was presented with a Leeds Rhinos rugby shirt with ‘HRH 60′ on the back to mark the date, during a visit to Leeds’ Headingley Stadium on Friday.
When asked on the show about Mothering Sunday, Edward said it was “always a big event” when he was a child.
During his conversation with Titchmarsh, Prince Edward also paid tribute to his wife Sophie, who he described as his ‘rock’.
Sophie and Prince Edward are pictured holding their new son James in December 2007.
When asked on the show about Mothering Sunday, Edward said it was “always a big event” when he was a child.
“Those days were, and these days are really important, to remember some very, very special people in our lives,” he said.
“There should be several times of the year when we make some kind of special effort and Mothering Sunday was one of those where a special effort was made just to say ‘thank you.'”
Watch the full interview with Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on Sunday 10 March at 9.30am on ITV1 and ITVX.