Prince Philip agreed to a documentary being filmed about his life in a bid to change his ‘grumpy’ image.
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The Duke of Edinburgh, 88, is said to be desperate to alter the public perception of him as a moody individual, and thinks the ITV documentary, The Duke, is the way to do it.
A source close to the prince said: “Philip very much sees this as a legacy work. He was keen to have something to counteract his image, which is often unfairly negative.”
The two-part documentary, the first part of which airs in the UK at 9pm tonight (12.05.08), is the first time the prince, who is married to monarch Queen Elizabeth, has allowed the cameras to focus on him alone.
He reportedly decided to give the exclusive rights to ITV after the queen was involved in a row with the BBC last year after they edited footage to make it seem like she had stormed out of a photo-shoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.
The source added: “The project went to ITV as the royal family’s relationship with the BBC has been deteriorating for some time and last year’s row caused an enormous loss of good will.”
In the documentary, the prince discusses a variety of issues, including how overpopulation throughout the world is to blame for rising food prices.
He says: “The food prices are going up – everyone thinks it’s to do with not enough food, but it’s really that demand is too great, too many people.
“It’s a little embarrassing for everybody – no-one quite knows how to handle it. Nobody wants their family life to be interfered with by the government.”
