The late Duke of Edinburgh was a public figure to most of us, but to his eight grandchildren, he was simply grandpa.
In a new BBC documentary — Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers — celebrating and paying tribute to the late royal’s life, the Duke of Cambridge has opened up about his relationship with the family patriarch, revealing Philip’s humorous side.
In a teaser clip for the documentary, which will air in the UK on Wednesday night, Prince William revealed one of Philip’s favourite games was tricking his grandchildren into squirting mustard all over the ceiling — much to the Queen’s annoyance.
Recalling the mustard game, William said: “He used to take the lid off [the tube] and put it in your hands … and then he’d squish your hands together to fire the mustard onto the ceiling.
“He used to get in a lot of trouble from my grandmother.”
Princess Anne’s children Zara Tindall and Peter Philips also remembered the mustard antics.
“He gets you to hold it in your hands and I can’t remember exactly what he says — but he ends up slamming your hands together… it goes all over the ceiling,” Zara said.
Her brother Peter added: “I actually think the marks are still there.”
Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers is a compilation of never-before-seen archival footage of the royals interspersed with interviews of royal family members. Originally planned to be a documentary for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday, the focus of the film had to shift following Prince Philip’s passing in April 2021.
Several snippets of the documentary have been shared already in the lead up to its airing. One such clip released by @clarencehouse showed Prince Charles speaking to the camera, narrating a video of himself and Princess Anne riding tricycles, being chased by Prince Philip also on a tricycle, and Princess Margaret running behind.
In the video, Charles said: “He was marvellous at arranging silly games. I mean, the fun of having obviously young parents was… there were lots of chasing around and mad things.”
The documentary will be live on BBC One at 9pm, Wednesday September 22.