For most of his adult life, Prince Philip acted as Prince Consort of the United Kingdom and dedicated his life to serving and representing the crown. His marriage to the late Queen Elizabeth lasted 73 years until his death in 2021, and whilst most of his life was spent in the public eye, where he was known to be pretty no-nonsense and even a bit gruff at times, he also had a much softer side that to some may have been unexpected.
Some of the late Duke of Edinburgh's hobbies were well known by the public, like his passion for carriage driving which he passed on to his granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor - daughter of Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie. However, despite his natural athleticism and love of the outdoors, Philip also had some real artistic interests, including painting and jewellery design.
Throughout his life, Philip was a keen painter, and many of his artworks are now held by the Royal Collection Trust, with the rest kept in the Royal Family's private collection. He also enjoyed a long-term friendship with artist Edward Seago, which "was deeply formative, both to his own style and his appreciation of the arts," per Art News.
Often working in oil paints, Philip created artworks of people and landscapes, and one of his paintings Duart Castle from the Sound of Mull, has been noted to show how his friendship with Seago impacted him, "the atmosphere and light show the influence of his friend," the Royal Collection Trust has said.
Philip also painted an intimate portrait of his wife the late Queen Elizabeth enjoying breakfast in 1965, in what is considered a "strikingly affectionate and informal" depiction of the former monarch, giving a glimpse of her private life the public wouldn't usually get to see. Per Hello magazine, an expert has previously said of Philip's artwork, that they were "exactly what you'd expect – totally direct, no hanging about".
The late Prince Consort was a dedicated patron of the arts and design, as well as participating himself, setting up the Prince Philip Designers Prize, and collecting a wide variety of works including aboriginal art, contemporary art, and political cartoons. "The monarchy have been a persistent (and easy) target of cartoonists and caricaturists for 300 years, from Gillray and Beerbohm to Scarfe, Bell, Rowson, and Peter Brookes – but the Duke of Edinburgh could always see the funny side in any situation, and took humorous depictions of himself in his stride," the Cartoon Museum has previously said.
Philip also had a hand in the design of rooms and features of some of the royal residences, including sketching new stained glass windows for Windsor Castle after a devastating fire in 1992.
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