Page 68 - PROTAGONIST-123

Philip was a dandy in his own way also − if not especially − in his exit. That
customized Land Rover and his flag draped over the coffin accentuated one

last time the uniqueness of a man who came from another era.

the young man has only a handful of pounds in his bank ac- who knew he wasn’t like everyone else and didn’t bother to
count. Too proud to ask his future father-in-law for a loan, seem like he was. Statements like “if you travel as much as
on his wedding day he borrowed a formal day dress from a we do, you appreciate the improvements in aircraft design
friend and wore silk socks with holes in them. Handsome of less noise and more comfort, provided you don’t travel in
and athletic, over the years he unleashed his style by hiring something called economy class, which sounds ghastly,” or
the best tailors on Savile Row: John Kent, Gieves & Hawkes, arriving in Paraguay during Stroessner’s dictatorship and
Haste & Lacter, Turnbull & Asser. His ideas were clear: the saying “it’s a pleasure to be in a country that isn’t ruled by
archetype is the perfect English gentleman without any con- its people” are indicative of a distance that wasn’t haughti-
cessions to eccentricity so as not to break protocol and risk ness or arrogance: it was inherent membership to an élite.
casting a shadow over his royal bride. The more Elizabeth Just like his many hobbies were elitist, from polo to carriage
was forced to wear bright colors and monochromatic blocks racing, from sailing to squash, the latter was so important On pages 64-65, the Duke of Edinburgh portrayed by the artist Ralph Heimans contrasto). On this page, the Duke of Edinburgh presents the Operational Service medals to the 4 th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland on June 12, 2014 in
(the imperative behind every one of the Queen’s wardrobe and enthralling that it made him arrive late to the birth of in 2017, the year he retired from public office (©CAMERA PRESS/ROTA/
choices is to make her visible to the crowds), the more Phil- his son Charles.
ip stood out for the perfect cut of his clothing worn without And Philip was a dandy in his own way also − if not
any ostentation, but with the nonchalance of someone from especially − in his exit. That customized Land Rover was Fallingbostel, Germany (© Nigel Treblin/Getty Images)
another world. transformed into a funeral hearse based on his designs; the
And it was probably the Duke of Edinburgh’s ironic de- flag draped over his coffin was his flag, a patchwork uniting
tachment and his subtle provocation against bourgeois me- Denmark, Greece, Edinburgh, and the Mountbatten crest.
diocrity − even more so if it involved a royal family − that All these elements accentuated one last time the uniqueness
revealed the essence of this last dandy. Those jokes quick- of a man who came from another era. He was a stylish and
ly dismissed as gaffes revealed instead the nature of a man meticulous protagonist of his century.

66 Portait Protagonist