God Save the Queen

The Plank points us to a BBC story compiling some of more inane comments made by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of HM Queen Elizabeth. a sampling:

During a state visit to China in 1986, he famously told a group of British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed".

Still throwing spears? (Question put to an Australian Aborigine during a visit in March 2002)

"Oh no, I might catch some ghastly disease." (in 1992 in Australia, when asked to stroke a Koala bear)

"Aren't most of you descended from pirates?" (in 1994, to an islander in the Cayman Islands)

"You managed not to get eaten, then?" (in 1998, to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea)

Eddie Izzard had a very funny bit along these lines in, i think, Dress to Kill (it may have been Glorious; i can't find an online vid.).

i simply do not understand what the American people hold the ridiculous British royal institution in such high regard. for that matter, i don't understand why the British do.