Prince Michael of Kent has frequently worn a beard on this and similar occasions when in military uniform. Once retired from the active list I don't see any problem with beards in uniform. I'm more offended by the sight of a guards WO1 in shirt sleeve order with tattoos down to his wrists, but I guess that another story :*

We do digress, don't we! :)

I guess in part it's a generational thing, once we escaped from Victorian/Edwardian beards.

Anyway, lets get back to His Amazing Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and much else besides. The young ones can make their own arrangements!

He didn't wear a beard during his formative years.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/...7341965832.jpg

Cazalet, if that photo is intended as a comment on TTNav's reference to Prince Michael of Kent at #41, it's perhaps worth noting that the Prince is aged just 75, born in 1942, and thus unlikely to have taken part in in any pre-war National Socialist march in Germany of the sort we appear to see there. If I have the reference wrong, then I duly apologise in advance.

That appears to be a funeral procession, possibly Ludendorff or von Hindenberg.... and a state funeral would be when a representative of the Crown would be present. Cazalet probably knows who and what he is referring to

It was the funeral of the sister to Prince Philip in 1937.

Story here Prince Philip at a Nazi funeral and the day his sister had lunch with Hitler | Daily Mail Online

I think the award of the (then) maximum of 5 WW2 campaign stars and an MID for the Battle of Cape Matapan rather wipes out any spurious connections with the nazis.

Did Prince Philip ever wear a beard? I thought we were talking about George V, Prince Michael and Prince Harry.

Yes, I'm no good at posting photos, but there are plenty about including one taken in 1957, 4 years after being appointed Captain General of the RM who are rumoured to be unhappy about Prince Harry possibly getting the same appointment.

Well the RM are likely to history in a few years anyway - wiped out by cuts & Trident

My bad. Should have checked.

Lot's of rumours swirl around his past - no doubt.
Three of his four sisters, for instance - marrid Nazi's. He is alleged to have dug his heels in with the Queen adopting his surname, not hers, for their children (Mountbatten Vs Windsor).
All in all, he's done the Queen proud - standing by her for all this time, through thick and thin.
Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of his razor sharp wit though!

Never met him but I know people who have - and they say he's the sharpest of the bunch by a considerable margin.........

but that's not a very high bar TBH

For 10 years I was Secretary of a very large "Royal" yacht club, Patron - The Princess Royal. She is one of the hardest working of "the Firm", and on the basis of several meetings I would rate her as intelligent, sharp, witty, and a damn fine sailor too.

....and you have to be fairly sharp to pilot a helicopter!

no just huge balls and the ability to wank a mouse.

oh and drink like a fish seems to help.

:p:p:p:p:p

I had a colleague, who sadly passed last year, who had spent time as a pilot on the Royal Flight Wessex. Apparently he and the Duke got on well. It must have been a strong relationship. He was 84 when he died, so had been retired some thirty years. At the commemoration of his life, there was a Group Captain representing HRH. Dave was a fine person and I'm sure if he had respect for HRH, it would have been well earned.

Tescoapp, a rather immature response IMHO but it did get a smile from HH!!!

I am just a nipper compared to you Sir!!

And HRH can definitely drink like a fish.

Don't know about the other two items though.