It is rare for The Queen to express publicly the immense admiration she holds for the man who has been at her side throughout her long reign. One of our observant readers drew our attention to a report on one of those rare occasions in The Daily Telegraph , London on 17 November, 2006. This was on the previous day, which the Telegraph points out was just four days short of their 59th wedding anniversary. It was when The Queen the Royal Charter that superb enterprise, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. Her Majesty praised the Duke’s "insight, courage and determination" in establishing the awards 50 years ago.
It is worth quoting in full the remainder of the item , because the Telegraph’s reporter, who is unfortunately not named ,has managed to capture the scene marvelously: "Since then under your watchful eye," she said, playfully emphasising ”watchful" with an exaggerated raising of her right eyebrow as Prince Philip tilted back his head and laughed, more than five million young people had taken the award which now operated in 120 countries. "For these remarkable achievements, you have my deep and enduring admiration — an admiration which words alone can never fully express," she added as the audience of 400 in the Palace ballroom burst into applause, and a slightly self-conscious Prince Philip fiddled with his tie.