AMONG the praise for Prince Philip last week was his "unique turn of phrase".

Or, to put it another way, his penchant for racist references. Think Chinese, think slitty-eyed. Philip’s “inimitable approach” – he gets away with stuff that would see ordinary mortals sacked.

There was more brown-nosing during the House of Commons tribute on the occasion of the Queen’s bidey-in’s 90th birthday. It was called a “humble address”. Parliamentary traditions require politicians to be subservient and obsequious when talking about the royal family.

I am allergic to monarchy. I refused to get involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme as a teenager. It was as much about avoiding strenuous activity and tedious outward-bounding as republican principle.

To be fair, Prince Philip is not the worst. His gaffes brightened many a dull day. I particularly liked his comment to a Scottish driving instructor: “How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?”

He is cited as an upholder of British values. I see him more as a role model for millions of immigrants – the refugees and asylum seekers washed up on our shores.

Young Philippos, to give him his Greek name, was on his uppers when he came to Britain after his family monarchy business went bust. He got citizenship status by marrying a well-placed British girl. He has lived happily ever after on generous state benefits.

Apart from sterling war service with the Royal Navy, he has never had a proper job. He spends much of his time unveiling plaques saying that he has unveiled the plaque. The rest of the time he just follows his wife about.

Even at 90, Prince Philip does 300 personal appearances a year. Over 60 years, that’s a lot of conversations with strangers who think it is important to meet the royal family.

Tedium may be the catalyst for his so-called gaffes. I suspect he works on soundbites to alleviate the boredom. Think what Prince Philip might have achieved if he had spent his life doing something worthwhile.