Prince Philip stuns Sandringham crowd with ‘terrorist’ comment to man with a beard
PRINCE Philip stunned crowds at Sandringham today when he pointed to a bearded man and asked if he was a "terrorist".
The 96-year-old, who is known for his royal gaffes, made the joke as he walked to morning service at St Mary Magdalene church.
According to onlookers, he spotted the tall man with the hipster-style long ginger beard and pointed him out to his minders.
One witness said: "The man appeared to be his with wife and child. Philip was wishing lots of people a Happy New Year and then he spotted this guy with his distinctive beard.
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“He pointed at him in a funny way and turned to one of his Royal bodyguards, saying: ’Is that a terrorist?.’
“He was obviously having a little joke, but he said it within earshot of the man who burst out laughing and appeared to find the whole thing hilarious. I think Philip knew he was going to be overheard.
“I’m sure Philip didn’t mean any harm. His grandson Prince Harry has a ginger beard, so perhaps Philip had been cracking jokes about that over Christmas.”
Lawyer Ian Smith, 39, added: "Everyone knows Prince Philip has got a sense of humour, although some people night have though it was a risqué comment.”
Prince Philip, who retired from royal engagements in May, also cracked a joke with Alison Leggett, 54, of Hunstanton, Norfolk, after seeing her 18month old fox red labrador lying on the wet ground.
He said: "I hope he hasn’t got rising damp”.
Philip attended the service in Norfolk alongside his daughter Princess Anne, her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward and his 14-year-old daughter Lady Louise.
The Queen, wearing a teal coat with a black collar and matching hat was driven into the church with Sophie Countess of Wessex.
She waved at the 600-strong crowd before entering the service at the 16th Century church.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle were nowhere to be seen after spending Christmas at the Queen's 20,000 acre estate.
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The annual service was led by Sandringham rector the rev Jonathan Riviere and began with congregation members singing the National Anthem.
They then went on to sing Christmas carols including It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, As With Gladness Men of Old and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
The Queen was escorted away from the church to her car by the bishop after the service as members of the crowd applauded her.
The un-pc prince - royal's best gaffes
1. Ready for Bed? He told the President of Nigeria, while he was dressed in traditional robes, on a visit in 2003: "You look like you're ready for bed."
2. Race relations - In 2002, when visiting an Aboriginal culture park in the Queensland rainforests of Australia, he asked an Aboriginal businessman: "Do you still throw spears at each other?" William Brim replied: "No. We don't do that any more."
3. Not snap happy - He lost his patience when an official photograph was being taken in 2015 at the RAF Club, and was said to exclaim: "Just take the f****** picture."
4. Career tips - He told a 13-year-old boy, Andrew Adams "you're too fat to be an astronaut" on a school visit in 2001.
5. Risky remark - One of his more famous gaffes was when Prince Philip told British students in China during the 1986 state visit: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed."
6. In 1961 he told the Scottish Women’s Institute: “British women can’t cook.”
When accepting a gift from a woman in Kenya in 1984, he asked: “You are a woman, aren’t you?”
7. On a 1986 visit to China he told British student Simon Kerby: “If you stay here much longer you will go home with slitty eyes.”
8. Speaking to a Brit in Hungary in 1993, he said: “You can’t have been here that long, you haven’t go
9. In 1993 he met fashion writer Serena French at a World Wildlife Fund gathering and quipped: “You’re not wearing mink knickers, are you?”
10. During a visit to Luton hospital in 2013 the prince told a Filipino nurse: “The Philippines must be half empty as you’re all here running the NHS.”
11. In 1995 he asked a driving instructor in Scotland: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”
12. Meeting a wheelchair-bound nursing home resident in 2002, he asked: “Do people trip over you?”
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