Southward with Prince Philip

Starting at the Melbourne Olympics (which he opened) in late 1956 the Duke went on to visit Graham Land, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Gough Island, Tristan de Cunha, St Helena, and Ascension Island on the way home, each destination challenging the narrator to come up with ever more astounding statistics as to the smallness of the native population (in numbers rather than height) and the remoteness of the geographical location. Packed full of facts and figures we learn not only that Napoleon had trenches dug in the garden when he was exiled on St Helena in 1815 to prevent his guards looking at him over the perimeter fencing (which must have been very low) but that a whale has a “three tonne tongue”, a fact apparently regurgitated by the Duke on a lecture tour he embarked on after his return. To add some spice to an otherwise very sober and matter-of-fact film it’s worth noting that a contemporary audience would have been very aware of the rumbling controversy of Mike Parker, Philip’s Private Secretary, being sued for divorce whilst the Duke was away, a story which led to rumours that The Queen and her husband of just under 10 years were also drifting apart; they must have been eagle eyed looking for any evidence of infidelity on this film of his long lonely trip way from home…

On an historical note it’s also worth mentioning that the HMY Britannia, which is perhaps most famous as the venue for Charles and Diana’s honeymoon, was only a few years old in this film (she was commissioned in 1954); she lasted another 40 years as the Royal Yacht until just after Labour came to power in May 1997. Her last voyage was another long and deeply significant one; ferrying Chris Patten and the Prince of Wales back to Britain after the official handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese in July 1997. The film was made by Rayant Pictures who produced over 250 travelogues and corporate films between 1947 and 1979, including another one about this particular trip entitled “Prince Philip In The Gambia” (1957). The director of both is unknown except as “A Member of the Royal Naval School of Photography”.