Angering local residents in Lockerbie when on a visit to the town in 1993, the Prince said to a man who lived in a road where eleven people had been killed by wreckage from the Pan Am jumbo jet: 'People usually say that after a fire it is water damage that is the worst. We are still trying to dry out Windsor Castle.'[2]
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- He compared damage at Windsor Castle to the aftermath of the Lockerbie crash, trivializing the tragedy.
- In plain terms
- He made an insensitive analogy between a fire and a plane crash.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid making light of tragic events.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why is it important to handle tragedy with care?
- How could the statement have been reframed?
Another view
The comment can be seen as callous toward victims.
More from Duke of Edinburgh Philip
To a British student in Papua New Guinea: 'You managed not to get eaten then?'[1]
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Permalink to quote #18 In 1966 he remarked that 'British women can't cook.'[1]
Permalink to quote #15
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