Prince Philip might be 90 years old but his famous sense of humour is as sharp as ever, as he proved at a function in Canberra last night.
The Duke of Edinburgh addressed a group of Commonwealth Study Conferences alumni at Government House.
Philip founded the conferences more than 50 years ago and they quickly became huge success.
In pictures: Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Australia
The royal last night expressed his surprise at the popularity of the program, joking that he only started it to get out of going to another function.
“This was meant to be a one-off conference in 1956,” he said. “Even then it was unintentional because what I was trying to do was get out of another conference.”
The 1956 conference led to nine more, bringing together people from all over the Commonwealth to discuss industrial relations.
Although Philip admitted he was bemused by the program’s success, he said he was still more than happy to take credit for all the achievements of its alumni.
“They obviously made a fortune or great success with their lives,” he said. “Even if they don’t admit it, I take credit for it.”
In pictures: Previous royal visits to Australia
Governor-General Quentin Bryce and former chair of the Commonwealth Study Conferences (Australia) Sir Eric Neal also spoke at the event, praising Philip for his vision and commitment to the program.
Philip is famous for his sense of humour, which has often got him into to trouble. He has behaved himself so far on this tour of Australia.
Your say: Do you think Prince Philip’s sense of humour is inappropriate or a breath of fresh air?
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