‘Is that it? Are you sure?’ Those were Prince Philip’s first words to me when, at his first sitting for a portrait I’d been commissioned to paint of him in 2006, he set eyes on my painting equipment: a small canvas, no more than 12 by 15 inches, perched on my travel easel in a grand room at Buckingham Palace. The painting was to be a series of three works for a charity, Muscular Dystrophy UK, which the prince had been a patron of for many decades. The other portraits were of Richard Attenborough and an esteemed scientist, but for me this one turned out to be the most powerful: partly because Prince Philip gave me a bit of time, perhaps four sittings of an hour or an hour and a half. Getting to know someone a bit is crucial for good portraiture.
Prince Philip death: Which charities did the Duke of Edinburgh support? msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award was hailed Prince Philip s greatest legacy as his patronages paid tribute to his decades of dedicated service today.
Adventurer Sir David Hempleman-Adams praised the prize, which has benefited 6.7 million participants since it was founded by Prince Philip in 1956.
The 64-year-old, who completed the bronze, silver and gold awards as a teenager, said: I personally think so because it influenced me in such a powerful way at such an early age. It s done the same thing for millions of people around the world.
It comes as the Duke of Edinburgh s patronages including Shakespeare s Globe and The Scouts paid tribute to him hours after his death.
Prince Philip tributes: Teesside leaders pay heartfelt tributes following death of Duke
Buckingham Palace announced that Prince Philip died at Windsor Castle on Friday
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Heartfelt tributes have flooded in for the Duke of Edinburgh from people across Teesside.
Prince Philip death: Boris Johnson pays tribute to Duke of Edinburgh dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.