Although polo eventually became his favourite sport, Philip was slow to warm to it. When he was based in Malta in 1949, he was more interested in the inter-ship sporting competitions such as hockey and rowing. At the command of his own ship Magpie, he drove his crew hard, so much so that at the annual regatta in 1949 his ship won six out of ten events, with Philip stroking the whaler class boats. There was a polo ground in Malta where Dickie Mountbatten often played. Both he and Princess Elizabeth wanted Philip to take up the sport, but initially he showed no interest, saying that it was ‘a snob sport’ and that he preferred playing hockey and diving on the reefs.

Lady Mountbatten wisely advised the princess not to push Philip too hard, saying he would come around to the idea of playing polo in his own good time, which he did. Sure enough, once he took it up, it became his favourite sport and he developed into one of the best players in the country with a five-goal handicap. It did count against him, however, when the question of the royal finances was raised in Parliament from time to time. In Philip’s own words: ‘Polo is not exactly cheap and anyone wishing to play must be either well-heeled, have a good job or be supported by an indulgent parent or sponsor . . . His wife needs to be very understanding and long-suffering.’ The Treasury took the view that if Philip could afford to keep polo ponies and grooms, a pay rise in the civil list could not be justified.

As a player, Prince Philip had huge energy – and got stuck into the game not minding what he said or to whom. ‘This is also one of the fields in which wives like to take part,’ he said. ‘Wives have also been known to have very firm views about the way both their husbands and other players conduct themselves on the polo ground.’ He was obviously referring to the straight talking during play – which could all too easily waft over to the spectator area, including the royal pavilion.

Playing in the semi-final of the Harrison Cup at Cowdray Park during one Goodwood week, former international showjumper Johnny Kidd, a member of the Todham Team along with patron Ronnie Driver and high goal players Julian Hipwood and Jorge Tassara, remembers playing against the Windsor team of Prince Philip, Patrick Beresford, Prince Charles and the Marquis of Waterford. He recalls ‘Prince Philip yelling at Prince Charles nonstop – get a move on, do this, do that – calling him a f***ing idiot and worse. While all the time Prince Charles was quietly polite. He carried on while Prince Philip was steaming with anger.’