His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the able and admired consort of Queen Elizabeth II, has passed at the age of 99. Britain is honoring him with 41-gun salutes, flotillas, special lighting, eight days of mourning, and tributes from all over. The New York Times has a great photo spread of his well-lived life. The Daily Mail came out with its fattest edition ever.

This Brazilian soccer player's tribute is beautiful -- there at the moment of his own soccer victory, he chose instead of honor Prince Philip. These non-British soccer players honored him, too. That's so different from the disrespect for the U.S. coming out of the million-dollar ball players that's going on over here.

President Trump, unlike the Brezhnevian-Chavista election thief who succeeded him and made one of the classiest tributes of all.

"The world mourns the passing of Prince Philip, a man who embodied the noble soul and proud spirit of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth," Trump said in a statement.

"This is an irreplaceable loss for Great Britain, and for all who hold dear our civilization," he said.

"Prince Philip defined British dignity and grace. He personified the quiet reserve, stern fortitude, and unbending integrity of the United Kingdom," he said.

Biden in contrast offered only banalities, and in the Obama tradition made some of his so-called tribute all about himself, effectively saying he admired the prince because the latter's age made him look less old by comparison. Ugh.

The estimable Nile Gardiner, a former aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, wrote this flawless summary of the duke's admirable life for Fox News, which included fighting actual Nazis with distinction and bravery. His love and devotion to his wife was legendary -- at 73 years of a happy marriage, he died a model for all men. He also was loved for his bluntness and political incorrectness -- the Daily Mail has curated a striking sample here. There was no malice, though, Gardiner noted in his piece that he had a "jovial" manner. All the so-called politically incorrect gaffes seemed perfectly intentional yet he also knew how to make fun of himself.

But a racist, as Meghan Markle claimed someone in the royal family was? Plenty of eyes went to him, but knowing he was dying and had the public's sympathy, the Markle team later denied that the alleged family racist was the prince or the queen, putting the onus on the rest of the family, which few, in Britain at least, believed, according to Gardiner.

Recalling the prince's life was like a breath of fresh air. Did anyone know about his difficult family background, with an adulterous father and a saintly but mentally unstable mother, in what he called a 'nomadic' early life, and how he overcame it? Did anyone know about his distinguished war record fighting actual Nazis as well as the imperial Japanese? Did anyone know about his charity work and his ineffable devotion to duty? Did anyone recall his stalwart devotion to his wife, his very British stiff upper lip, his seriousness about duty to country, and his stately, classy, gentlemanly demeanor? He was always sort of in the background, based on media coverage. But he was always there and always representing with honor his country.

Who's been the face of the British royal family lately? Why, none other than Meghan Markle and her adjunct, the wretched Prince Harry, who follows her around and goes along with her whims like a beagle. Unlike Prince Philip, Prince Harry abandoned his duty, arguably abandoned his country, ignored his family's wishes to strike out on his own, (except with his daddy's money) and generally went with selfishness. He now pursues the celebrity lifestyle in Los Angeles, complete with Oprah interviews and Netflix deals, all in the end not to advance the cause of Britain, but to advance the increasingly politicized agenda of Meghan. Blech.

Prince Philip was said to be the most upset with Prince Harry for walking out on his royal duty and with Meghan for leading him. Prince Philip, after all, had given up his promising career as a military man to be the queen's consort, and embraced that role like the giant he was. He was asking of Harry and Meghan only what he had asked of himself, and consistently lived by example. Meghan, though, wasn't about to give up her actress career for a mere life as a duchess and its "boring" royal-family duties. She reported said it "wasn't working for me" and dragged Harry off to the celebrity lifestyle and red carpets back in Los Angeles.

Behind this kultursmog from the press which obscured the reality of the hard-working and dutiful, patriotic royal family, there still stood people like Prince Philip. It seems it now took death for people to take stock in who he was and what he did in a well-lived life that spanned nearly a century. In contrast, Meghan with all her press lackeys, looks kind of small, kind of icky, and distinctly unfit.

Image: Allen Warren, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

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