prince Phillip's gaffes

[Ms DD]

Another faux pas for Prince Philip as he mistakes Oscar star Cate for a DVD technician

By LAURA ROBERTS - More by this author »

 

Last updated at 09:47am on 31st January 2008

 

Comments (50)

 

Maybe he was engaging that wry sense of humour that has got him into so much trouble in the past.

 

 

Or perhaps Prince Philip genuinely didn't recognise Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett when they bumped into each other at a social engagement.

 

Whatever the case, we are all now a little wiser about the difficulties the Windsors appear to be having with the royal DVD player

 

It is said that when Miss Blanchett told Prince Philip that she worked in film he may have misunderstood her position in the industry.

 

Rather than question Miss Blanchett about her latest screen roles he decided to ask for some help in getting his home entertainment centre working.

 

A palace courtier said: "Prince Philip began discussing his DVD, which he said was broken. He said: "There's a cord sticking out of the back of the machine. Might you tell me where it goes?"."

 

As the story goes, Miss Blanchett politely responded that she was in fact an actress and not much of a technician.

 

Apparently, the 86-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was quite surprised.

 

Quite where the conversation went from there remains a bit of a mystery but in theory there should have been plenty to talk about.

 

The senior royal has a history of putting his foot in it while on official engagements.

 

At an IWWF meeting in 1996 he made the comment: "If it has four legs and is not a chair, has wings and is not an aeroplane, or swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it."

 

During a visit to China the same year he told a group of visiting British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed."

 

He once asked a Australian Aboriginal businessman in 2002: "Still throwing spears?"

 

While inspecting a fusebox at an electronics factory in West Lothian in 1999 he commented: "It looks as though it was put in by an Indian."

 

A spokesman for Prince Philip failed to recall his meeting with Miss Blanchett.

 

"The Duke of Edinburgh meets so many people when he is escorting the Queen on engagements," he said.

 

"These are often film stars, actors and actresses.

 

"I cannot recall an occasion recently when he might have met Miss Blanchett but we do not always get guest lists for every engagement or social function."

 

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