The Duchess of Edinburgh has paid tribute to her husband as he prepares to celebrate his 60th birthday over the weekend.
Speaking during an engagement in Leeds, the Duchess praised Prince Edward, and reflected on their 25 years of marriage.
Sophie said started her speech by saying she wanted to ‘share a small tribute to my darling husband’.
Her Royal Highness said: “Now I know from the many years of marriage we have chalked up, 25 years in June to be precise, he will be horrified at seeing me up here speaking about him in public.
“Without looking at him, I am guessing he will now be sitting back with slightly narrowed eyes, possibly with his arms folded, or one arm stretched out across the table and to all intents and purposes looking identical to his father when I made speeches about him.
“I twice spoke about The late Duke of Edinburgh in his presence, on both occasions feeling like I was about to launch myself out of an airplane without a parachute, but holding on to the vague hope of a soft landing.
“You have to appreciate that my father-in-law never liked anyone to pay him compliments, believing that it was the organisations he supported that were important, not him.
“However, the fact that I wasn’t in the doghouse after either of the speeches reassured me that I hadn’t at least committed any major faux pas and I was therefore able to stand the getaway cars down.”
Read the Duchess of Edinburgh’s full speech by clicking here.
