Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, led a well-organized and routine-based life from morning to evening. As the husband of the Queen of England and with his long-entrenched strict daily habits, he accomplished many royal engagements throughout his lifetime.
Details about Prince Philip's daily routine were revealed to the public by a Daily Mirror reporter in 2003 who worked as a footman at the Palace, subsequently published in The Daily Mail.
Inside a day in the life of Prince Philip
Key takeaways
- Prince Philip had a ritualistic approach to his daily routine.
- He started his day with a cup of coffee and a shower.
- High tea was served at the Palace at 5 p.m., and dinner was relaxed.
- The Duke had a curious nighttime habit of "sleep waving."
Mornings
Each morning, Prince Philip would sit for breakfast at a table set up by Palace servants in the Queen's private dining room. He had a cup of coffee and listened to BBC Radio 4 while eating his breakfast, which consisted of cereal and porridge oats kept in Tupperware boxes, two types of marmalade, and a bottle of maple syrup at hand. A thick white napkin embroidered with the EIIR emblem would be folded on the table next to the plastic cereal containers. Interestingly, each of these, one would say, commonplace plastic tubs would be carefully placed in the same position every day.
Afternoons
After breakfast, Prince Philip would, depending on his diary, carry out solo visits or support the Queen at her public appearances.
An injured wrist forced him to give up playing polo in his fifties, and he began his competitive career in carriage racing in 1973, when he was 52. He says, "I was looking round to see what next; I didn't know what there was available ... I decided to give up the big sporting love of my life and look for new challenges. Which is how I ended up carriage driving." So, many an afternoon was taken up with "... the sheer pleasure of driving a team through the British countryside," Prince Philip wrote in a book he authored about the sport.
Evenings
High tea was served at 5 p.m., including sandwiches, scones, and Dundee cake. Dinner was a relaxed affair for the Queen and Prince Philip when there were no guests or public engagements. They preferred to change into comfortable clothes and enjoy a casual meal. Prince Philip was fond of lager and cooking on the barbecue and avoided oysters while on duty.
Pamela Hicks, the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting, revealed in an ITV documentary that Prince Philip had a curious habit of "sleep waving" at night, which he developed due to his dedication to royal engagements during the day. It was to plague him in later life.
He retired from public duties in May 2017 but kept busy with meetings, events, and hobbies. In his later years, he spent most of his time at Wood Farm, where he read, painted, and hosted friends.
