‘The Philippines must be half-empty’: The Duke of Edinburgh's latest gaffe

 

Laura Davis
Thursday 21 February 2013 10:34 GMT
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Prince Philip, 90: Appointed to the Privy Council by King George VI on 4 November 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh has been a member longer than anyone else alive
Prince Philip, 90: Appointed to the Privy Council by King George VI on 4 November 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh has been a member longer than anyone else alive

Ah, Phil. When will you learn?

Never one for shying away from blunt (and some say racist) comments and jokes, some say The Duke of Edinburgh has put his foot in it again.

The 91 year-old royal was visiting Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Bedfordshire, when he said to a nurse:

'The Philippines must be half-empty - you're all here running the NHS'

You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks.

Of course this isn't the first time the Duke has managed to offend...

Here are some of his other gaffes over the years:

  • To a British student during a state visit to China in 1986
    “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” 
     
  • At the Scottish Women's Institute in 1961
    "British women can't cook."
     
  • To an Aboriginal performer in Australia
    “Do you still throw spears at each other?”
     
  •  To a group of deaf children standing near a Caribbean steel drum band in 2000
    "Deaf? If you're near there, no wonder you are deaf."
     
  • Referring to the Russian people when asked if he'd like to visit in 1967
    “I would like to go to Russia very much - although the bastards murdered half my family”
     
  • To a driving instructor in Scotland
    “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”

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