Prince Philip renews his reputation for gaffes
December 19, 1996
Web posted at: 7:30 p.m. EST (0030 GMT)
From Correspondent Richard Blystone
LONDON (CNN) -- For a member of an endangered species, Prince
Philip, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, spends a lot of
time sticking his neck out and inviting attack. The royal
husband had to apologize Thursday for remarks he made
opposing a motion to outlaw handguns.
The motion supporting a gun ban was started after a gunman
entered a Dunblane, Scotland kindergarten classroom in March
and shot 16 students and their teacher to death, then shot
and killed himself.
Philip's remarks disparaging the pro-ban movement were seen
by victims of the Dunblane massacre as insensitive. His
timing was impeccable.
Just as the British government is about to pass the popular
bill that bans private ownership of all handguns bigger than
a .22 caliber, and the parents of the Dunblane schoolchildren
are about to spend their first Christmas without their
children, Philip sat down for a BBC Radio interview.
"I sympathize desperately with the people who were bereaved
at Dunblane," he said.
"But I'm not altogether convinced that it's the best system
to somehow shift the blame onto a very large, peaceable part
of the community. If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly
decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to
death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily ... I
mean are you going to ban cricket bats?"
Some shooting enthusiasts backed the prince, who is himself a
shooting enthusiast. But there was a fusillade of outrage,
especially from Dunblane parents, who are trying to get all
handguns banned.
"The hurt that it will cause to those people directly
involved, I really just can't imagine what their feelings
will be when they hear these comments," said Ann Pearston of
the Snowdrop Campaign, a Dunblane group which pressed for the
ban.
The head of the Scottish National Party, Alec Salmond: "It
is high time that he was told if he can't contribute
intelligently with sensitivity to the debate then he should
keep his foolish, crass opinions to himself."
And Prof. Stephen Haseler said the comment is yet another
sign that the monarchy is on its way out. "People say that
the monarchy unites the nation, but I think these kinds of
comments show increasingly that they divide the nation,
because I think it means that the royal family have no idea
of the sensitivities and attitudes of most of the people in
this country."
Buckingham Palace issued an apology, saying that Prince
Philip "had no intention whatever of causing offense or
distress to anyone, and he is sorry if he has done so."
It isn't the first time Philip has insulted a large body of
people. But it was the first time the prince, who has a long
history of unfortunate remarks, actually said he was sorry.
In the past, he has weathered the storm generated by his
remarks, which included asking a Scottish driving instructor,
"How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to
pass the test?"
In 1986, he visited Beijing, where he jovially told British
exchange students, "If you stay here much longer you'll all
be slitty-eyed."
As long ago as 1966, he was already insulting his own
countrymen, with the remark, "British women can't cook."
By going to Dunblane to express her sympathy in person, Queen
Elizabeth worked her way into Scottish hearts. Her husband,
meanwhile, seems to have talked his way out of them.
Related stories:
Related site:
Related newsgroup:
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Some newsgroups may not be supported by your service provider.
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.