Prince Philip died aged 99 last week. His life was that of service.
It was marked by devotion to the British Crown through his exceptional constancy in public support for the monarchy.
In a time when wealth, privilege and service are not often married together it is a timely reminder for us all that the pursuit of duty for duties sake is the essence of being noble. He did this to an extent that made this nobility not just admirable but a virtue and, by his example, worth pursuing.
One can admire this from a distance even if one fully doesn’t understand its significance. It would be very easy to detract from his very many contributions to public life by using the small speckles of his mistimed moments to judge him.
Yet these were inextricable parts of his mercurial charm that brought out the public’s affection for him.
The true value of a servant of a sovereign is judged by the public estimation for the work carried out by him or her. For this he is rightly regarded with the highest esteem as, of course, is his just due.
May we that are left behind try to mirror the path he trode, even if we cannot hope to match his invariable persistence in fealty.
Dr Abhijit Pandya
Founder and CEO
Pandya Arbitration Global