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Back in 2014, when Prince Philip was a spritely 93-year-old, he attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace held in his honour, to celebrate his birthday.

As guests arrived, they were forewarned not to do what they’d come there to do – wish him a happy birthday.

He hates his birthday. I would imagine after almost a century of them, they lose their charm.

Today, he celebrates his 99th birthday, and while he’s old as dirt, he’s had a good, if at times controversial and inappropriate, run of things.

This year, the pandemic has put a damper on things, which means no big party – something that Philip probably isn’t too upset about.

Instead, he’ll be enjoying a quiet lunch with Cabbage (his pet name for the Queen).

To celebrate the Royal fossil, The Daily Mail put together 99 interesting facts about “the birthday boy” as they call him. We will not be calling him this for reasons that have much to do with dignity (ours, not his).

We picked our top 10:

1. He used to subscribe to Flying Saucer Review, and has said that “there are many reasons to believe that [UFOs] exist.

Believe it or not, that’s not the worst thing he’s said publicly. He describes himself as a practitioner of “dontopedalogy — the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it”.

2. He would hide a small radio in his hat at Royal Ascot so that he could listen to the cricket.

3. He insisted on operating a bulldozer while digging out a new water garden at Balmoral.

4. Philip was forced to wear a kilt when courting Elizabeth. When introduced to her father, George VI, he jokingly curtsied. The King was not amused.

5. Apart from Cabbage, he also calls the Queen ‘sausage’. He has a whole meal going there.

6. He likes practical jokes. He once called the Air Ministry, played a tape of an air battle, and said “help! One of our pilots has gone berserk and he’s strafing the palace!”

You can imagine how that one worked out.

7. When Prince Charles was born, Philip declared that he looked like a “plum pudding!”.

Not much has changed there.

8. He is the oldest-ever male member of the Royal Family.

9. His nickname for a line-up of dignitaries in their ceremonial robes who would wait to receive him and the Queen at royal events was ‘the chain gang’.

10. When asked his secret for coping with public appearances, he responded: “I never pass up a chance to go to the loo”.

Happy Birthday, you old bag.

[source:dailymail]