Prince Philip was angry when he was told to stop watching his favorite game during a royal tour.
In 1977, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh headed to New Zealand and Australia on a royal tour of the Commonwealth. According to Robert Hardman's 2018 book "Queen of the World," the trip wasn't smooth sailing the entire time.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip reportedly attended the last day of the Centenary Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Prince Philip has been an ardent lover of cricket throughout his life. Thus, watching the sport in Melbourne would be fun for the royal. However, he wasn't meant to finish the match due to their scheduled engagement.
"The only tension was when Australian government officials tried to move the Duke of Edinburgh on to his next engagement, just as the match was reaching an enthralling climax," Hardman wrote. "The Duke was said to be apoplectic."
It wasn't the only time Prince Philip let his anger show during their royal tour. In 1983, the royal couple visited the United States.
During their tour, they encountered a road delay in San Francisco. According to Kitty Kelley in her book "The Royals," Prince Philip was "strained with impatience" when he was told of the wait.
The 97-year-old was bristling with anger as he grabbed a magazine from the seat pocket. Prince Philip reportedly rolled it up and smacked the driver across the back of his head as he screamed to move the car.
Queen Elizabeth II just sat impassively while her husband whacked the agent. An hour after they arrived, she reportedly sent her embassy representative to the agent's room to invite him to join the royal couple for a night, but he declined.
Prince Philip has a temper and he is not shy to show it. In fact, he made a savage comment on Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's newly built home after their royal wedding by saying that it "looked like a tart's bedroom."
The royal also once called the Duchess of York a "flirt" when she joined Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for dinner and greeted each servant with their first name. "I thought you gave up flirting with the servants ages ago," Prince Philip told the duchess.
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.
