Chris Mullin, a Labour MP who was a government minister for a few years, tells how Queen Elizabeth shuts up the Duke of Edinburgh in his new book.
December 5, 2003 Commonwealth Conference, Abuja, Nigeria I am 'attending upon' the Queen, who is opening the new British Council offices. David Green, the council's director-general, has just given a speech. I am next to Prince Philip alongside a group of English women. When Green has finished, the Duke remarks loudly: 'Huh, that speech contained more jargon per square inch than any I've heard for a long time.' Then he turned to the women. 'You're teachers, aren't you? Can you tell me what all that meant?' One of the women, a bit right-on, replies: 'No, sir. We're not actually teachers.' 'Not teachers? What are you then?' 'Well, sir, we empower people.' That set him off. 'EMPOWER? Doesn't sound like English to me.' By now the Queen, noticing that trouble is brewing, has turned and is pointing vaguely over the balcony. 'Look.' The Duke, stopping mid-sentence, retreats to her side, somewhat bemused. 'At the pottery.' When they have gone, I go and look. I see no pottery.
Mr Mullin is about to publish A View From The Foothills: The Diaries of Chris Mullin - and the book is currently being serialised in The Mail on Sunday.