How Price Philip Changed The British Monarchy

He believed monarchies must adapt to survive.

• He set up informal lunches where the Queen could meet people from a broader range of backgrounds.
• Before the Coronation, when Philip and the future Queen moved into Clarence House in 1949, he installed an array of labor-saving devices, including one in his wardrobe that would eject a suit at the push of a button.
• The Duke also championed a 90-minute fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary entitled Royal Family, which aired in 1969 and was considered landmark television.
• At Buckingham Palace, Philip had intercoms put in so that servants no longer had to ferry written messages to his wife.