Prince Philip: did he defend the right to protest in 1968?
Since the death of Prince Philip media portraits have been abounded. The Prince it appears was a devoted patron of good causes and dedicated public servant. He also made ‘gaffes’ (or racist remarks as they are alternatively known),charming and curmudgeonly by turn.
It would be a struggle to define Prince Philip as anything but right-wing but the meaning of the term has varied over time and context is important.
Its often difficult to find any sign of independent thought amongst the current crop of Tory MPs but in the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century figures of the right could be idiosyncratic. Think for example of William Cobbett the promoter of the Freeborn Englishman who was also pro-slavery and anti-Semetic.
In that context researching media coverage of the 17th March 68 anti-Vietnam War protest in Grosvenor Square I came across an interesting historical by-way in the Daily Telegraph (March 68).
A TV review by the wonderfully named L Marsland Gander reports that the Prince appeared on ITV’s Face the Press programme and was questioned about Grosvenor Sq.
He began by noting that it wouldn’t have happened in World War Two but went on to suggest that ‘we live in the most regimented society that has ever existed’ and that you have to have a ‘licence to breath’.
Prince Philip was no doubt having a go at then then Labour Government but at the same time he was also echoing something of the rights of the Freeborn Englishman of Cobbett.
A particularly Royal way of defending the right to protest perhaps
28 minutes in on Grosvenor Square & student revolt
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