Editor-at-Large of Australian’s Women Weekly Juliet Reiden says the late Duke of Edinburgh was a man of “contradictions” who did his “duty” standing by his queen – he was the “perfect” prince consort.

“I mean he was a man of contradictions because many people think of him as an outsider going into the house of Windsor – and yet we look at him and we think of him as that man of duty, that man of honour who stood by the queen, who was the perfect, perfect prince consort,” she told Sky News.

Ms Reiden also said Prince Charles got his inspiration and love for the conservation of nature from his father Prince Philip – who was co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund.

“We think of his son Prince Charles as being ahead of his field – but his father was there first.

‘It was his father’s knee that prince Charles learnt his passion for conservation, for nature, for saving the planet.”