PHILIP PRINCE: (1921- ) Duke of Edinburgh, husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth II. An interesting A.L.S. ...

PHILIP PRINCE: (1921- ) Duke of Edinburgh, husband and consort of Queen Elizabeth II. An interesting A.L.S., Philip, four pages, 4to, n.p. (in the Pacific Ocean), 9th November (1956), to Harold [Hartley], on the printed stationery of H.M. Yacht Britannia. The Prince writes during his world tour and provides his correspondent with various observations of the different countries he had visited, in part, 'The Seychelle Islands are most attractive but of course the Europeans there who are not in Government service are really just beach combers. With only one ship every 2 or 3 months they're fairly well cut off. Ceylon I found in much better order than I expected. They were all friendly and the new Government is still tremendously enthusiastic. I think they were all rather astonished that they got their independence so easily and with no ill feeling……I found Malaya a much happier and quieter place than I expected. The emergency is always there but it's being tackled with patience. They are also looking forward to Dominion status next August and this is coming about with very little ill feeling and, I think, genuine friendship. The fly in the ointment is the 2,000 hard core terrorists in the jungle. We can't catch them and they won't give up…..Everything I heard about Singapore was bad. I was told that people go there to make money or to make trouble. They don't know where they want to go and they don't care where they are going……Of course the whole period has been overshadowed by Suez. Badly put across our action caused a lot of unhappiness in these parts. It looked to us very much as if we took it as an excuse to get our own back on Egypt. However it stopped the war which is something and it also made Egypt a less interesting ally for the other Arab states now that she has got to acquire a new lot of military equipment' and further adds 'I have been spending the last few days preparing some exceedingly bad speeches for Australia. I have to open the Antarctic Symposium in Melbourne and I think my first draft is quite promising……' A letter of good content written in the immediate wake of the Suez Crisis. VG Sir Harold Hartley (1878-1972) British Physical Chemist, later serving in important positions in business and industry including being Chairman of the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The Duke of Edinburgh spent 1956-57 travelling around the world in the newly commissioned HMY Britannia and whilst in Australia opened the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Prince Philip also visited the Antarctic, thereby becoming the first royal to cross the Antarctic Circle. The Suez Crisis, an attempt to regain Western control of the Suez Canal, had only ended on 7th November, two days before the present letter. The episode humiliated Great Britain and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden. Historians have concluded that the crisis 'signified the end of Great Britain's role as one of the world's major powers'.