'Stoke-on-Trent? What a ghastly place,' says Prince Philip
BLUNDERING Prince Philip has put his foot in it again – after labelling Stoke-on-Trent "a ghastly place".
The gaffe-prone Royal made his flippant remark as he met city MP Joan Walley during a Buckingham Palace reception.
Details of the 1997 exchange have been revealed in Tony Blair's new political memoir A Journey.
Now Buckingham Palace is refusing to apologise for the Duke of Edinburgh's Stoke-on-Trent slight.
In his book, Mr Blair describes how Prince Philip "doesn't give a damn about what people think of him".
The former Prime Minister then writes: "I remember, early on in Government, Buckingham Palace thought they should have a reception for a few Labour MPs.
"Since we had a rather large majority, perhaps they thought they should do so in case there were any latent republican tendencies that might erupt.
"It was going fine until Prince Philip wandered up to Joan Walley, a very sincere leftish feminist MP."
As Prince Philip approached Joan, pictured, he asked her where she represented – and when she told him Stoke-on-Trent, the Prince replied: "Ghastly place, isn't it?"
After being approached by The Sentinel yesterday, Buckingham Palace did not deny the exchange had taken place.
Ms Walley was unavailable for comment yesterday as the Prince's howler came to light.
But fellow Stoke-on-Trent MP Rob Flello, who joined Parliament in May 2005, said: "I wish I had been at the reception and he had said that to me.
"I would have said that I'd like to invite Prince Philip to Stoke-on-Trent and show him what a fantastic place it is.
Sentinel columnist and Stoke-on-Trent historian Fred Hughes said the comment was a typical Duke of Edinburgh gaffe.
He said: "There was a rumour that Prince Philip had said something like this and Tony Blair has confirmed it in his book.
"I think the last time the Prince was in Stoke-on-Trent was in 1998 when the Queen opened The Regent theatre and I believe his knowledge of the city is sadly lacking.
"The city is not a ghastly place. It has a lot of community spirit, and any city that has community spirit can't be ghastly."
Do you agree with the prince? Where would you take Prince Philip in Stoke-on-Trent to show off its highlights?
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by D STOKES, STOKE
Monday, September 06 2010, 12:03AM
“You sad people impersonating me need to get a life. I can't help it if my intellect is less than that of a stick insect. I didn't choose to be a moron.”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Sunday, September 05 2010, 11:58PM
“Andy, much as I'd like to back you up son, how many women have you honestly seen wearing a burka round here? The nationalist cause in this city is constantly undermined by the fact that alot of the salt of the earth indigenous white people standing up for this country are also idle dole scroungers. If Prince Phillip were one of these multi-culti fascists he'd make mincemeat out of us just cos of the very fact that most of the nationalists here are idle wasters who just use it as wagon to deflect their inadequacy elsewhere. Someone once told me I'd evolve into a Homo Sapien but I thought my activities with Craig, Terry and Sam already meant I was!!!”
by steven, uttoxeter
Sunday, September 05 2010, 9:33PM
“Yeah Stoke is pretty ghastly, there are better places to live. There are worse of course, Stoke is a small city with big-city problems.”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Sunday, September 05 2010, 7:39PM
“Sam whats me to put a Bowler hat on when I see him a Monday afternoon for a spot of up hill gardening in Tunstell park loos.”
by Andy, Bucknall
Sunday, September 05 2010, 5:48PM
“Yes, I agree with Phil "The Greek" Windsor.
I would take him to see the lovely new Mosque in Hanley and meet the Burka wearing young "women" to see segregation er..sorry... multiculturalism in action.
I think the Prince would enjoy a bit of old-fashioned medieval religious bigotry. In a modern setting of course.”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Sunday, September 05 2010, 3:26PM
“I'd take him back to mine and show him how deep my hole is!!! Can't believe how many D STOKES there in STOKE!!!!”
by paul, stoke
Sunday, September 05 2010, 12:38PM
“where would i take the prince hmmm was thinking of taking him burslem cemetary show him how deep the holes are and how there filled in!!”
by D STOKES, STOKE
Sunday, September 05 2010, 11:27AM
“I'm so thick I have to live in a place with the same name as me, otherwise I'd get lost and forget where I am. I'd hate to get lost because I wouldn't be able to find my way to the dole office or Pondo's crack.”
by mikefire, neckend
Sunday, September 05 2010, 10:12AM
“Just a test run, fed up of writing "lectures" and failing to get on site”
by Mick Penning, newcastle, staffs
Sunday, September 05 2010, 8:50AM
“We don' 'worry' Richie -your words.
But what we do do -di do do dah, is seize this opportunity with both hands to show what this half bag of shopping really stands for.
Work it out yourself. We have, as the consort to our Head of State, as you refer to him -a half-brained hypocrite -wheeled out to come up here from time to time, and pat us all the head for keeping our noses to the grindstone, smiling at the cameras -and then going back to London and the 'corridors of power' -and talking disparagingly behind our backs.
That's what our Monarchical system affords us. Show me where that leaves us with any dignity.
To have to accept in our midst, the personage of such a figure of fun as this buffoon clearly is, as worthy of invitation to bring whatever he is supposed to bring to the table on these visits -is just pathetic, and reflects more than anything how sad we are as a Nation of unquestioning toadies.
If we're not sucking up to George Bush, as represented by the antics of Poodle Blair, we're showing deference to people like him who know nothing of the trials and tribulations of our proud Industrial Heritage -ravaged by successive governments -sending all the jobs to the far east.
This man who plays the role of Consort to our Head of State is the best Recruiting Sergeant the Republicans could wish for.
Don't be intimidated by tradition -where you are prevented from even considering that any of your offspring is as good as 'them', or could one day become Head of State.”