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Prince Philip has died
- imranhou 6y agoFinally true RIP, away from the constant spotlight
- sktrdie 6y agoRIP but how's this Hacker News related?
- oraphalous 6y agoI do not care.
- dazc 6y agoSo why comment?
- oraphalous 6y agoTo register contempt for the arbitrary assignment of status and recognition from a community I thought cared about greater things.
- 1_player 6y agoSorry we do not meet your quality standard.
- oraphalous 6y agoC'mon - give me a good explanation why this deserves to be on hacker news. Is this information why you are here?
- tomhoward 6y agoHe was a significant public figure. His appearance here is not an unanimous endorsement, nor an anti-endorsement, just an acknowledgement that he was a significant figure. See this search for the many other figures whose deaths have made the front page here: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=%22has%20died%22&sort=byPopularity&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...
- oraphalous 6y agoEvery single one of those names is more awesome than this guy and contributed more...
- owenmcfadzen 6y agoLet us remember some of his grace: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit) “I declare this thing open, whatever it is.” (on a visit to Canada in 1969) “I hope he breaks his bloody neck.” (when a photographer covering a royal visit to India fell out of a tree) “Do you still throw spears at each other?” (in Australia in 2002, talking to a successful Indigenous Australian entrepreneur) “Where did you get that hat?” (supposedly to the Queen at her coronation) Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-philip-most-famous-comments-and-clangers https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-phili...
- kwonkicker 6y agoCant argue with almost any of it. I said almost (for legal reasons)
- Hasnep 6y agoSorry, are you saying he was right to say those things?
- ed_elliott_asc 6y agoAlso when he visited a driving school in Scotland and asked how they kept the natives away from alcohol long enough to team them
- JUNGLEISMASSIVE 6y agoThat is almost certainly banter.
- bbarnett 6y agoWas curious as to the 'whatever' it was, took a bit of Googling, so: http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2010/05/quote-prince-philip.html http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2010/05/quote-prince-philip.h...
- k_sze 6y ago
- krembanan 6y agoRest in peace. 99 isn't a bad age to go, what a life he had.
- nickkell 6y agoNarrowly missed getting a telegram from his wife
- DigitalSea 6y agoUnderrated comment.
- spzb 6y agoIt hasn’t been a telegram for at least 20 years. She sends a birthday card these days.
- dalbasal 6y agoDoes this count as a technological regression?
- jermaustin1 6y agoI'm sure they have automated a lot of it, so maybe it has progressed in that less man hours are required per message, and on top of that, they are probably in color, with pictures, which is way more than you get with a telegram.
- oblio 6y agoI imagine the next few years will be quite interesting for the British monarchy.
- celticninja 6y agoIt will only really get interesting after the Queen kicks the bucket. For most non monarchists she isn't a bad sort to be in charge. The rest of them are a shower of shites.
- iso1631 6y agoI quite like modern day Harry - he seems to have managed to get rid of his upbringing fairly well
- zpeti 6y agoAn interesting perspective I've heard is that she should have been more political in a few extreme cases. She is the head of state and her actual job should be to bring left and right together in the very controversial, almost unsolvable issues, and get them sorted out. She should really be like a couples therapist for political leaders. She never did this. She always stayed out of politics.
- mFixman 6y agoCan you think of a single case where this is true? King George VI publicly praised Chamberlain for appeasing Hitler and apparently preventing another world war. I'd be wary of making _any_ public statement of that sort as a royal with that kind of precedent.
- Jenz 6y agoMore out of curiosity than judgement; why is this on HN?
- ed_elliott_asc 6y agoI guess if it doesn’t belong here then it will be off the front page soon enough
- sturza 6y agoaaaand it’s gone
- jiriknesl 6y agoMaybe there are lots of people from the UK here.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- iso1631 6y agoThe biggest impact is that all TV and radio shows are cancelled for the forseeable. Will be interesting how it's dealt with due to covid. Will be especially interesting in Northern Ireland, which is currently inflames because of the fallout from a funeral for a republican figure which had many people attending it in breach of lockdown rules, but with no police action (which, combined with Boris's Border, has led to a narrative of "the other side {republicans} are winning")
- bb123 6y agoEh? I'm watching TV in the UK right now. Nothing is cancelled.
- cameronh90 6y agoSwitch to the BBC.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoAs I can't be the only one curious, the South Pacific tribe that deified him plan to worship Charles now. To me, signifying that they are doing it for the publicity now. https://nypost.com/2021/02/27/islanders-who-call-prince-philip-a-god-plan-to-worship-charles/ https://nypost.com/2021/02/27/islanders-who-call-prince-phil...
- bidirectional 6y agoWhy does it signify that? I mean they probably are, but it also seems like the logical step to worship his heir?
- boomboomsubban 6y agoThey worshiped Philip because he visited and made a real impact on their life. To my knowledge, Charles hasn't done that, their only connection to him is through the journalists worshipping Philip has attracted. Logically, someone like Karl Pilkington should be the replacement.
- Y_Y 6y ago> Anne, Princess Royal, visited Tanna Island in October 2014. She is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She sounds like a good candidate to me.
- boomboomsubban 6y agoAgreed, if they had chosen her I would not count their motives as much.
- boomboomsubban 6y ago*doubt, not count. Damn phone.
- dalbasal 6y ago
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- swen-rekcah 6y agoHow long before the media blames Meghan? Rest in Peace
- 1_player 6y agoYet, you're the first to mention it here. Please do not comment with the sole intent of causing a flamewar.
- swen-rekcah 6y agoClearly a joke, he was 99 no one is truly going to debate this. Smh
- nullsense 6y agoI really wish we could just do away with all this royal family nonsense. You guys are somehow special because what? Useless social fiction from antiquity.
- iso1631 6y agoKardassians seem to have more adoration
- celticninja 6y agoSo you are suggesting they take over from the royals or from the US president?
- MagnumOpus 6y agoWhile Cardassians are far more popular than the Windsor Royals, they are fictional. Which has advantages, admittedly -- far lower expenditures and a far lower rate of child-rapes among them -- a lot of the British royalists might object to a change of rulers on that basis.
- _Microft 6y ago> Kardassians seem to have more adoration There are two different typos possible here and I am undecided which one is funnier ;)
- pndy 6y agoEach time I'm catching myself reading it as Cardassians
- cblconfederate 6y agoThey earned it tho
- Ygg2 6y agohttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Guldukat.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Guldukat.jpg They got nothing on Gul Dukat.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tazjin 6y agoSee also: https://royal.uk https://royal.uk
- thiago_fm 6y agoImagine being brit and having contributed 99 years of taxation so those monarchs enjoy a chill life, while there's a clear empire downfall and stalled economy... while all you can barely afford is fish 'n chips. Yet you still have to continue working to fuel this royal family bullshit.
- iso1631 6y agoCan't afford fish and chips! Costs a fortune nowadays
- Shivetya 6y agoImagine living a life where every thing you do is questioned if not actively managed. A life of privileged yes but a life not always your own. Plus the guy served in an active combat role in WW2 so my hat is off to him. I have a Great Uncle nearing that age who served and I will never not give them a pass. This day and age people will run away screaming about their rights before serving their fellows in any capacity let alone one that is dangerous and possibly life ending. People who will create any reason under the sun to denigrate another who usually has done far more in life than they will ever dream of.
- DubiousPusher 6y ago> Imagine living a life where every thing you do is questioned if not actively managed. A life of privileged yes but a life not always your own. Gotta say, this sounds like a better argument for abolition than against.
- gadders 6y agoThe Royal Family costs each Brit around £1.24/year [1] I doubt I could even get just the chips for that. Amazingly good value. [1] https://news.sky.com/story/the-royal-accounts-this-is-why-the-monarchy-cost-41-more-last-year-11748503 https://news.sky.com/story/the-royal-accounts-this-is-why-th...
- swen-rekcah 6y agoThe Royal Family do a lot more than live a chill life. If it was a social media star I would agree. A monarchy is soo much more than that, don’t let recent press/media to dominate your opinions.
- crossroadsguy 6y agoRest in peace! I have always felt strongly against monarchy. Especially against the British royal family, more so as I am an Indian. They never apologized for any of the massacres (Jallianwala is just one example) or pogroms committed at their behest and in their name. I do believe they are a disgusting symbol of colonialism, racism, subjugation. It is very disturbing that a good part of the world and an entire nation validates them, bows to them officially. But again, he was a fellow human being after all - I hope he finds peace if at all there's something after this and I hope he was at peace and content towards the end.
- smcl 6y agoAs a Brit I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. Re your second, you are a much more mature and compassionate person than I am about this. I am completely ambivalent about his death. He was a very old man who lived a spectacularly privileged life and had little to no worries. I care not a jot whether he found peace.
- gadders 6y agoI think that says more about your character than that of the Duke of Edinburgh.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- smcl 6y agoWhat might that be?
- gadders 6y agoVindictive, with an adolescent desire to shock and offend?
- monkey_monkey 6y ago
- ksec 6y agoIt wasn't that long ago he recovered from an infection [1]. And I remember reading he is only a few more months from 100 years old!. Spending his life serving the country. Rest In Peace [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56172496 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56172496
- andrepd 6y ago> Spending his life serving the country. More like spending his life having the country serve him.
- danielrpa 6y agoIt cuts both ways. The life of a British Royal is better than almost anyone else's. At the same time, they don't really have a lot of freedom in the usual sense - a lot of ceremonies, formal parties, events etc. You might have a better life as an retired, anonymous millionaire with some US$5M in the bank (which would also make you extremely privileged).
- blackshaw 6y agoTrue. The royal family aren't just our rulers, they're our prisoners. Can you imagine being a high-ranking member of the British royal family? Your life isn't your own - you can't pursue the career of your choosing, you have an enormous amount of obligations and you have all the usual downsides of fame, and this is all by accident of birth, not something that you chose. The job might have its perks but I'm still glad to be a commoner. It's the minor royals who have it best, I think. Zara Tindall could walk down most roads in Britain and not be recognised - she gets the riches and privileges, but only a tiny fraction of the downsides experienced by her grandmother.
- Balgair 6y agoMeghan Markle talked about this: "In the car ride over, however, the importance of the meeting sunk in as Harry asked Meghan, "Do you know how to curtsy?" She told Oprah: "I thought genuinely that that was what happens outside. I thought that was part of the fanfare. I didn't think that's what happens inside. I said, 'But it's your grandmother.' He goes, 'It's the queen.' That was really the first moment that the penny dropped.""[0] Per her telling of the story, we may concluded that Harry really never had a grandmother like many other people do. It seems it's always been 'formal' in the royal family. That the ideas of duty and royalty have come before family. That's not a life that I would want to live or a family I would want to have. That said, their wealth and privilege may make up for it. But it's not perfect. [0]https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/meghan-markle-oprah-interview-story-about-meeting-the-queen-48203526 https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/meghan-markle-oprah-inter...
- mothsonasloth 6y agoThe codename for his death is : "Operation Forth Bridge"
- pta2002 6y agoWhat does this mean?
- dijit 6y agoThe 'Forth Bridge' is a bridge in Scotland. Usually when there are preperations for a future event to hide the markers of what it is there are code names. Operations for preparing the necessary for the deaths of heads of state are typically named bridges. The Queens death is (or was) Operation London Bridge.
- mothsonasloth 6y agoAll members of the Royal family have Bridge names or landmarks in the UK as their codenames for their death. QE is - Operation London Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge
- blackshaw 6y agoChurchill's death was anticipated with a codename too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hope_Not https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hope_Not
- arethuza 6y agoOperation London Bridge is the codename for the plan for what happens when the Queen dies. Philip had the title of Duke of Edinburgh and the Forth Bridge is a large bridge near Edinburgh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge Edinburgh sits on the south side of the Firth of Forth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth_of_Forth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth_of_Forth
- 6y ago
- celticninja 6y agoI don't think he ever wasn't at peace. He was a rich old racist who did fuck all really, what did he have to not be at peace about. One less state scrounger as far as I'm concerned.
- kgraves 6y agowho hurt you? Seems like the monarchy cannot win either way to rectify their errors with British colonialism. So the commonwealth is also bad as well? or you prefer it to be abolished?
- celticninja 6y agoWhat is the commonwealth? Its not bad now that it exists, but if it never existed would it be much different? A shared history unites some countries regardless. But I agree with you, the monarchy cannot win. They have a very privileged upbringing and life, far removed from the rest of us, and it is at our expense. They are no better or different to the rest of us, so why are they treated as if they are. Their ancestors were lucky enough to be the ones on the throne when we, as a people, decided to stop killing off monarchs when we wanted to replace them. And on that basis they have enjoyed decades of power, influence and wealth, and they continue to accrue it too.
- dr_dshiv 6y agoBecause Prince Charles is heir to the throne (and has been portrayed more negatively in the news media than any other living person), some in the HN community may be surprised to know that he wrote a book on philosophy. https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-New-Way-Looking-World/dp/0061731358?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_marketplace https://www.amazon.com/Harmony-New-Way-Looking-World/dp/0061... I found the book to be astonishingly good. It takes a design approach to Platonism and western esotericism. It goes deep into "sacred geometry" but steers clear of woo or religion. He adopts a Pythagorean perennialism and advocates for an ecological "spirituality" that is integrated with science. It contains examples from his own urban design projects. I was reeeeally surprised to find this kind of thinking coming from the Prince of Wales.
- bencollier49 6y agoWhat a wonderful comment. Thanks - I didn't realise that he'd written a book like that, and the fact that it incorporates Platonism and Western Esotericism is even more impressive. Thanks for the comment.
- afandian 6y agoI'd never heard of this, but I do note that it has two co-authors (Tony Juniper, Ian Skelly).
- de_keyboard 6y agohttps://www.insider.com/poundbury-prince-charless-nostalgic-vision-of-an-english-town-2021-1 https://www.insider.com/poundbury-prince-charless-nostalgic-...
- nanna 6y ago> (and has been portrayed more negatively in the news media than any other living person) Bold statement.
- 076ae80a-3c97-4 6y agoConsidering Prince Andrew exists, it's a false statement.
- kitd 6y agoStory about him (from the Guardian, via Reddit): Hargreaves was a yeoman aboard the destroyer HMS Wallace on which Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece, had been appointed first lieutenant - second-in-command - at the age of 21. In July 1943, engaged in the Allied landings in Sicily, the ship came under repeated bombardment at dead of night and its crew realised that they would probably lose their lives. It was then Philip conjured up a plan to throw overboard a wooden raft with smoke floats that would create the illusion of debris ablaze on the water. As he hoped, the German plane was fooled into attacking the raft while the Wallace sailed to safety under cover of darkness. Hargreaves recalled the terrifying events of that night on the website: 'It was obvious that we were the target for tonight and they would not stop until we had suffered a fatal hit. It was for all the world like being blindfolded and trying to evade an enemy whose only problem was getting his aim right. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that a direct hit was inevitable. 'There was no question but to accept that on the next run or the one after that we had little chance of survival. I had been through so much that the feeling of anger and frustration was as great as the fear I and everyone else felt. 'It was less than five minutes after the aircraft had departed and - if the previous space in time was approximately the same - we had about 20 minutes to come up with something. We couldn't steam far in that time, not even far enough to make the aircraft think we had moved.' He continued: 'The first lieutenant [Philip] went into hurried conversation with the captain, and the next thing a wooden raft was being put together on deck. Within five minutes they launched a raft over the side - at each end was fastened a smoke float. When it hit the water the smoke floats were activated and billowing clouds of smoke interspersed with small bursts of flame gave a convincing imitation of flaming debris in the water. 'The captain ordered full ahead and we steamed away from the raft for a good five minutes and then he ordered the engines stopped. The tell-tale wake subsided and we lay there quietly in the soft darkness and cursed the stars, or at least I did. Quite some time went by until we heard aircraft engines approaching. 'The sound of the aircraft grew louder until I thought it was directly overhead and I screwed up my shoulders in anticipation of the bombs. The next thing was the scream of the bombs, but at some distance. The ruse had worked and the aircraft was bombing the raft. I suppose he was under the impression that he had hit us in his last attack and was now finishing the job. 'We lay there waiting for him to leave, which he did, and, in view of the solitary attacks so well spaced apart, we were convinced he would not return. It had been marvellously quick thinking, conveyed to a willing team and put into action as if rehearsed.'
- controlweather 6y agoWow I am so so so happy this evil fucker is dead! Literally the best news I’ve heard in a while. Now do the Queen.
- 1cvmask 6y agoSome famous quotes of Prince Philip. Make your own judgement while you downvote his comments. “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit) “Do you still throw spears at each other?” (in Australia in 2002, talking to a successful Indigenous Australian entrepreneur) “There’s a lot of your family in tonight.” (after looking at the name badge of the businessman Atul Patel at a palace reception for British Indians in 2009) “It looks as if it was put in by an Indian.” (pointing at an old-fashioned fusebox in a factory near Edinburgh in 1999) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-philip-most-famous-comments-and-clangers https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-phili... —- “You are a woman, aren’t you?” (in Kenya after accepting a small gift from a local woman). “Aren’t most of you descended from pirates?” (to a wealthy islander in the Cayman Islands). https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/8/13/the-priceless-racism-of-the-duke-of-edinburgh https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/8/13/the-priceless-r... Prince Philip is to European aristocracy is what Donald Trump is to American liberal democracy: an embarrassment - the men who flaunt the ugly truth from under the thin veneer of their bourgeois etiquette.
- zpeti 6y agoI hope you feel happy that you are basically spitting on someone's grave in HN. There is no point to what you are doing except statisfying your own narcism.
- 1cvmask 6y agoThose are his words and he always stood by them. Whether one wishes to cheer it or ignore it or criticize it is up to them. But he never once renounced them. This is all in the public domain.
- blueblisters 6y agoI imagine that's what most European Aristocrats born in the 1920s sound like.
- rataata_jr 6y agoEveryone is product of their time. Give them the benefit of the doubt. He could be one of the reasons why we are all not speaking in German right now.
- S53Vflnr4n 6y agoSome fuck from a colonial looting & murdering bunch of thieves died. Gets featured on HN.
- rgt94 6y agoWhy these rich people live so long?
- jermaustin1 6y agoMoney buys a lot of health care, so does royalty. If you combine them, you can get a lot of years added onto your life.
- 1cvmask 6y agoFamous quotes by the Prince: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-philip-most-famous-comments-and-clangers https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/04/prince-phili...
- Graffur 6y agoWhy is this on HN? Taken from a flagged comment below: “If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.” (to British students in China, during the 1986 state visit) Relevant with all the Asian hate going on recently.
- bergheim 6y agoThis is an actual honest question; why is this on hacker news?
- mumblemumble 6y agoBecause at least 203 people, as of this counting, thought it was interesting enough to either submit the link or click the up arrow.
- speed_spread 6y agoPrince Phillip invented the Internet
- s_dev 6y agoHacker News is a forum for anything of interest to nerds. It doesn't have to be technical or scientific or academic. The death of a royal may be of interest to nerds.
- brudgers 6y agoThe criterion is “intellectually interesting.”
- drewcoo 6y agoBecause libertarian technologists are attracted to power and rules. Vote me down, but the comments bear me out.
- dang 6y ago
- gorgoiler 6y agoSixty five years as the husband of the head of state of a G7, nuclear armed nation, that brought the world Thatcherite individualism and the first cracks in the EU. Philip, like it or not, wielded influence and power beyond his constitutional station. One doesn’t have to like him, but one should respect him.
- samstave 6y agoThat's gunna be a 'no' from me, dawg.
- andrepd 6y agoWow, why should I respect that this unelected aristocrat "wielded great influence beyond his station"?
- phantomathkg 6y agoCompare to other unelected autocrat around the world? The house of Windsor earn their respect by being modest.
- greedo 6y agoI think "modest" in conjunction with royalty is inherently in conflict.
- 533474 6y ago99 years of tax subsidies, he surely had a good life without many regrets. It's beyond my comprehension why humans still keep these hereditary regimes, constitutional or absolutist, alive
- cjblomqvist 6y agoPR. At least that's the message that's conveyed in Sweden. (and according to those messages, perhaps even studies(?), it apparently pays off in spades, at least in Sweden)
- nabla9 6y agoIt served a purpose once. Constitutional monarchy was peaceful way to move from brutal inherited caste system into democracy. Imagine the same path today. Kim Dynasty in North Korea could turn into constitutional hood ornaments gradually. Or Chinese Communist party would become the House of Lords. 100 years from now people wold admire them just like they do royals now.
- jacquesm 6y agoSeconded. We have a bunch like that here in NL.
- sweezyjeezy 6y agoBecause a lot of people get enjoyment from it (e.g. my mum), and removing it wouldn't save much money.
- sleavey 6y agoIt perpetuates the idea that you cannot rise beyond the class you're born into; indeed also that class still exists and still commands respect.
- parenthesis 6y agoSting, "Dressed in his Sunday best and brandishing a union jack, … waved to [The Queen Mother] as she passed in her black Rolls Royce and she looked straight at him and waved back, he remembers. "That was when I got infected. That was when I thought: "I don't want this life: I want that one. Once I'd found a guitar to play I found a friend to help me get there," he told the Guardian. Quoting from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10306480/Sting-The-Queen-Mother-inspired-me-to-become-a-rock-star.html https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10306480/Stin...
- PUFFhPhEHo 6y agoA sad day for the Queen. Not only has she lost her husband but also her 3rd cousin.
- bigbillheck 6y agoIf he does get re-incarnated, let's hope he doesn't get his wish to 'return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation.'
- samstave 6y agoIsn't it funny that every single person who laments overpopulation never considers themselves to be a part of the problem, and thus, this is why they aren't committing suicide in droves.
- bigbillheck 6y agoThe dude had four children! That's exactly how you get overpopulation.
- cookingoils 6y ago“The official website of the Royal Family is temporarily unavailable while appropriate changes are made.“ Nicely poetic approach to put the website in a sort of mourning state. Curious what changes need to be made.
- JohnHaugeland 6y agoThey've been ready for years. None.
- cookingoils 6y agoSo it's just symbolic? Seems odd to not have a click-through then. Edit: Just checked some subpages and they forward to the announcement. I guess they really mean unavailable.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Symbiote 6y agoIt is both: the process will have been planned in every detail for decades, but part of that process is to show a "mourning" website.
- toiletfuneral 6y agoCool, let’s put every monarch in a grave.
- callamdelaney 6y agoRepublicans first old chap
- nmca 6y agoNow seems as good a moment as any to raise a proposal for the UK's adoption of constitutional necro-monarchy. We ought to declare, as a matter of principle and beyond all dispute, that Queen Elizabeth is alive and well, if unfortunately unavailable at the moment. Keep her on the money; politely decline to comment on any foolish concern for her health and certainly cut off and disparage any efforts from the more recent cohort of royals to take over her sacred position. Simple reasons that this is an excellent idea: 1. Maintain tourist interest, as necro-monarchy is more interesting than monarchy. 2. Reduce ongoing operational costs. 3. Avoid expensive re-printing of money and any state funeral for Elizabeth (who is, clearly, going to be alive and well for all time) 4. Sidesteps any need for a formal declaration of republic, or dispute with royalists (who hopefully wouldn't be so foolish to disparage the health of the queen, who is alive and well).
- opwieurposiu 6y agoThis is such a bizarre idea, I love it. It reminds me of how Lenin still holds court and receives visitors at his Tomb on the Red Square.
- bigbillheck 6y agoI'm not sure that this is an accurate description of the situation.
- calltrak 6y agoAs an Irish man I will have to celebrate! I am sure all his friends at the masonic temple in hell will be happy to see him! post your funny memes here https://picc.io https://picc.io
- arminiusreturns 6y agoI wonder if he will get to be reincarnated as a deadly virus that contributes to the "overpopulation problem" like he wished. (yes, for real) I find the many servile and naive responses here really quite pathetic. The man was evil both personally and as part of the structure of the monarchy. I understand that many simply don't know about his history, either as outsiders with a strange fascination with royalty but only at a superficial level (as many Americans confusingly are), or as part of a learned and willful ignorance required to be modern monarchist. Jimmy Saville was a good friend of his, just as one in a myriad of examples. At least two of his sons have a reputation as of the same inclinations as Saville. This only scratches the surface. While I hesitated to say this, as gloating over the death of even an enemy I find rather unbecoming and crude, but lets not make any mistake such people and institutions deserve no sympathy, as they have presided over horrors that would boggle the mind. On the topic of monarchy, I'm mostly with Diderot that mankind will not be free till the last king is hung with the guts of the last priest...
- cryptica 6y agoHow is the monarchy more evil than the current corporate oligopoly? The latter does far more damage to society.
- Ericson2314 6y agoI might not be more evil, but the monarchy is he linchpin upon which Britain's immense woes with social class rest.
- arminiusreturns 6y agoDont fool yourself, the monarchy and capitalism are hand in glove, and not in opposition...
- nprateem 6y agoLet's not forget he was (allegedly) famously racist
- 6y ago
- donohoe 6y agoAlso a well documented racist. Of course more of the obituaries are leaving that out and bending words to avoid that... examples I've seen: (Source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Sg_lsY_Y-RoED3IjAjZROmnkcfofc9h_yTZYBNHf5_4/edit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Sg_lsY_Y-RoED3IjAjZR...) - "with off-the-cuff remarks that were called oblivious, insensitive or worse." - "The duke could be blunt and outspoken to the point of offensiveness" - "his unfiltered remarks and attempts at humor became legendary for their bad taste" - "known for off-the-cuff remarks that often displayed a quick wit" - "was known for his seemingly tactless, off-the-cuff remarks." - "...many times with cringe-worthy remarks that bent the bounds of humor." - "... emitting intermittent and much-reported gaffes" - "...published a list of 90 of his notorious gaffes" - "he has been criticized for his gaffes and insensitive jokes" Though Daily Beast, NBC News, and Huff Post said it properly: - "Philip will also be remembered for his outrageous sexist and racist comments." - "...a reputation for the occasional brusque comment and crass, if not racist jokes." - "infamous for his sometimes controversial and racist remarks during royal visits."
- devtul 6y agoWe should have a designated shit talker on everyone's wake. Someone who only purpose is to bring every bad word said, bad deeds, remember the unreturned books or any item.
- roughly 6y agoFun fact: that’s what the Devil’s Advocate actually was - a person appointed by the church to argue against canonizing someone by digging up any negative things about them that can be found: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_advocate https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_advocate
- shankr 6y agoAh yes! Unreturned book and racism are in same league of shit-talking. Just another art of down-playing the severity of actions/words by comparing it with something mundane.
- Markoff 6y agowhy is this here? what has this priviliged racist freeloader to do with technology?
- naurupatel 6y agoDo dukes do anything? Why do we care enough to post this news here?
- bot41 6y agoWeird to see all the non-pro Royal family comments censored on here. Why? What has the royal family got to do with Hacker News and why does it matter if people on here are pro or anti Philip?
- callamdelaney 6y agoMost of those comments are / were vitriolic. Basically attacking Prince Philip because of status rather than any legitimate criticism of him as a person. I'd guess this is why - it's not facebook.
- teachrdan 6y agoBroadly speaking, the HN readership supports entrepreneurship, novel ideas and transparency; as a result, it tends to be critical of inherited wealth, entrenched institutions and arbitrary and opaque power. The royal family in England embodies all of the latter.[0] Of course there are exceptions! Most people are empathetic and few openly celebrate the death of a 99-year-old. But I think it's fair to say that a large percent of the community here has reason to not be overly sentimental about the passing of Prince Philip. 0. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/07/revealed-queen-lobbied-for-change-in-law-to-hide-her-private-wealth https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/07/revealed-que... "The Queen successfully lobbied the government to change a draft law in order to conceal her “embarrassing” private wealth from the public, according to documents discovered by the Guardian."
- callamdelaney 6y agoDan, the wealth of the monarchy is widely known; it owns billions in assets - graciously it donated the proceeds of these assets to directly to the treasury. They are literally net contributors on the basis of this alone.
- teachrdan 6y agoI have to smile at this comment. The monarchy "owns billions in assets - graciously it donated the proceeds of these assets..." Where exactly do you think these assets came from? The monarchy's wealth came from the people and resources of the Commonwealth. The individuals who constitute the monarchy did nothing more than get born to the right people to inherit and control this wealth. > They are literally net contributors on the basis of this alone. How can you know this? Without a comprehensive and independent accounting of their donations and expenses, it's literally impossible to say whether they are "net contributors" or not. It's nice to think that the monarchy is looking out for the people of the Commonwealth. But if that were the case, why would the Queen be lobbying--in secret!--to keep her vast wealth obscured from the public?
- ta20210405 6y agoTruly end of an era. Imagine the things that have come to life in the century that he was alive. Transistors, home air conditioning, laptops/PCs, jet engines...
- andred14 6y agoHe recently said that he wants to be reincarnated as a virus so that he can reduce the population but why? I suspect a sinister motive because here in Canada there is endless room... Not a fan.
- jariel 6y agoHe was funnier than most comedians.
- watersb 6y agoI find that I am deeply saddened by this news, and wish for the Queen some measure of condolence that his passing is truly felt even here.
- gre 6y agoFor a second I thought it said Phillip Glass and I was sad.
- atc 6y agoRest in peace.
- jtmlis 6y agoYay!
- utxaa 6y agoseriously? a racist relic of a not-so-bygone era? does anyone really give a fuck?