It has been five years since the death of King Charles’ beloved father, Prince Philip, who sadly died in 2021.
The Monarch previously spoke of the final conversation he had with his father in a moving BBC documentary, Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, which aired shortly after his death, during which he revealed they spoke of Philip’s upcoming 100th birthday in June.
WATCH: King Charles talks about fun childhood with Prince Philip
While Charles discussed birthday plans with his elderly father, just one day before he died, the then Duke of Edinburgh responded with his typical quick wit.
Opening the one-off programme, Charles recalled: “I was talking to him the day before he died, we were talking about his birthday coming up.
“I said (speaks loudly), ‘We’re talking about your birthday,’ because he was getting a bit deaf. And he said, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘We’re talking about your birthday and whether there’s going to be a reception.'”
© GettyThe pair discussed Philips upcoming 100th birthday
Laughing, Charles went on: “And he said, ‘Well I’ve got to be alive for it, haven’t I?'” After a pause, Charles added: “I said, ‘I knew you’d say that!’ Anyway, it’s a happy memory.”
The documentary was filmed in early 2021 and was originally conceived as part of the
Duke’s 100th birthday celebrations. It was altered after Philip’s sad death on 9 April, aged 99, and now features interviews with his family recorded before and after his passing.
All of the Queen and Philip’s children – King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – took part, as well as the couple’s adult grandchildren. The family have shared some sweet and funny anecdotes about the late Duke, particularly shining a light on Philip’s humour and how he liked to play practical jokes.
© BBC / Oxford FilmsEugenie opened up about her grandfather too
Charles, 77, said: “He was marvellous at arranging silly games. I mean, the fun of having obviously young parents was… there were lots of chasing around and mad things.”
Princess Anne, 75, recalled fishing with her father in Scotland, saying: “I always said I couldn’t catch anything and he’d say, ‘Nonsense, come with me.’ And after I had been casting for about half an hour, he said, ‘I see what you mean.’ And I just knew it was something I could never do.”
One of Prince Philip’s granddaughters, Princess Eugenie, also spoke about their shared love of art. Eugenie revealed how Philip gave her a touching bespoke handmade painting he had done of a bunch of flowers as a wedding present in 2018, as the documentary looked at the Duke’s artistic skills.
“It was so nice, it’s now sitting in my house in London and I’m so proud of it, you know?” Eugenie said.