Beorn
10-27-2009, 04:27 PM
Prince Philip has never been shy about giving his opinions on a large range of subjects - often with cringe-worthy results.
But the gaffe-prone Prince has put his foot in it again by joking about the name Patel.
It happened at a 400-strong Buckingham Palace reception for British Indians.
As guests lined up to meet him and the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, 88, looked at the name badge of businessman Atul Patel and said: 'There's a lot of your family in tonight.'
A spokesman for Mr Patel, who heads housing agency the LHA-Asra group, confirmed the conversation took place, but said the 47-year-old executive took it as a joke.
The spokesman added: 'Absolutely no offence was taken at all by Atul. It was taken in a very light-hearted way.'
Patel is a common Indian name, with an estimated 670,000 Patels living in Britain.
Prince Philip is notorious for his public gaffes and over the years has offered his own unique advice to people all over the world.
In 2002, he asked an aborigine whether he was 'still throwing spears'.
On a State visit to China in 1986, he told British students: 'If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.'
As dole queues grew in 1981, he said: 'Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed.'
Once, he asked a Kenyan dancer during a State visit: 'You are a woman, aren’t you?'
On another occasion he asked a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea: 'You managed not to get eaten, then?'
Speaking to a driving instructor in Oban, Scotland, he asked: 'How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?'
The Buckingham Palace reception for British Indians took place ahead of a three-day state visit to Britain by Indian President Pratibha Patil.
Today, the President received a red-carpet welcome from The Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.
Patil, the first Indian woman to be elected to the ceremonial role, was taken in a state carriage procession to the castle, where she will stay during the trip and where she was treated to a Guard of Honour.
Source (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223276/Princes-Patel-joke-gaffe-reception-British-Indians.html)
The man is a living legend. :D
But the gaffe-prone Prince has put his foot in it again by joking about the name Patel.
It happened at a 400-strong Buckingham Palace reception for British Indians.
As guests lined up to meet him and the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, 88, looked at the name badge of businessman Atul Patel and said: 'There's a lot of your family in tonight.'
A spokesman for Mr Patel, who heads housing agency the LHA-Asra group, confirmed the conversation took place, but said the 47-year-old executive took it as a joke.
The spokesman added: 'Absolutely no offence was taken at all by Atul. It was taken in a very light-hearted way.'
Patel is a common Indian name, with an estimated 670,000 Patels living in Britain.
Prince Philip is notorious for his public gaffes and over the years has offered his own unique advice to people all over the world.
In 2002, he asked an aborigine whether he was 'still throwing spears'.
On a State visit to China in 1986, he told British students: 'If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed.'
As dole queues grew in 1981, he said: 'Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed.'
Once, he asked a Kenyan dancer during a State visit: 'You are a woman, aren’t you?'
On another occasion he asked a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea: 'You managed not to get eaten, then?'
Speaking to a driving instructor in Oban, Scotland, he asked: 'How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?'
The Buckingham Palace reception for British Indians took place ahead of a three-day state visit to Britain by Indian President Pratibha Patil.
Today, the President received a red-carpet welcome from The Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.
Patil, the first Indian woman to be elected to the ceremonial role, was taken in a state carriage procession to the castle, where she will stay during the trip and where she was treated to a Guard of Honour.
Source (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223276/Princes-Patel-joke-gaffe-reception-British-Indians.html)
The man is a living legend. :D