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![]() Thursday, May 27, 1999 Published at 20:01 GMT 21:01 UK ![]() ![]() UK ![]() Deaf insulted by duke's remark ![]() The duke, pictured with the Queen, has a reputation for gaffes ![]() The Duke of Edinburgh is at the centre of another row after a "light-hearted" remark upset a group of deaf youngsters. Prince Philip, 77, whose own mother Princess Alice of Battenberg suffered congenital deafness, joked that the youngsters were deafened by standing too close to loud music playing at a celebration in Cardiff. "Deaf? If you are near there (the music), no wonder why you are deaf," he told them. Members of the British Deaf Association said they were "shocked" and "insulted" by the Duke's remarks.
The event was also attended by the Queen and the Prince of Wales who, like the Duke, toured the Castle grounds as loud music played around them. Student Elizabeth Jenkins, 19, said: "I took it as an insult. It was such a shock - I never expected him to say that." A BDA spokesman said: "That kind of remark is only a reflection of the much wider lack of understanding about deafness.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "It was a light-hearted remark that unfortunately was taken the wrong way." The row is not the first time Prince Philip's comments have landed him in hot water. His reputation for gaffes started several years ago:
The Duke, who has seemed impervious to criticism in the past, showed signs of frustration earlier this month at attacks in the UK press. He took exception to the "unfeeling" image given of him, saying he was simply a pragmatist, compared to his more "romantic" son, Prince Charles. He told the Sunday Telegraph: "And because I don't see things as a romantic would, I'm unfeeling."
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