Famous visits to Hungary by Prince Philip

The world was shaken by the news that Prince Philip died yesterday, at the age of 99. Mourning began in Britain and around the world. Flowers were placed at the entrance of Buckingham Palace.

As we reported before, Prince Philip, who spent seven decades on Queen Elizabeth’s side, passed away on Friday. In honour of his memory and work, politicians and stars remember the prince. Few know, but Prince Philip had visited Hungary several times.

In 1973, Philip visited the Hungarian State Farm in Bábolna and Dióspuszta. In these places, the prince even attended horse shows. In 1984, he was a guest at the Szilvásvárad four-wheel-drive world championship.

The greatest influence on Prince Philip was his visit to Kecskemét in 1978.

He returned here later, in May 1993, with Queen Elizabeth. In 1993, in addition to Kecskemét, the couple also visited Bugac and the capital of Hungary, Budapest. The royal couple rolled in front of the parliament in a Rolls-Royce on 4 May. Prince Philip was known for his humour, which he also showed in Budapest. He told a British tourist in Budapest: “You haven’t been here in a long time, you don’t have a beer belly.”

In Budapest, in addition to the Parliament, they also visited the National Széchényi Library. Here, they visited an exhibition, made in their honour. In the first half of the exhibition, there was a 16th-century book, in which there were also details of Oxford and Windsor Castle, while the second half was about Queen Elizabeth’s Hungarian relatives. After the exhibition, more  than 100 journalists were waiting in the hall of the library. The half-hour conversation ended at 4 p.m. with maximum punctuality, characteristic of the royal family.

Two days later, the couple was greeted by thousands of people cheering in Kecskemét.

1,000 Hungarian and 1,000 British flags awaited Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The mayor of Kecskemét also handed over the symbolic city key of Kecskemét to the Queen. Queen Elizabeth wrote in the city’s book of honour: “On the occasion of the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Prince of Edinburgh, to the city of Kecskemét on May 6, 1993.”

The couple’s visit to Hungary required huge preparations. Among other things, the work of nearly 400 police officers and the on-call duty of two hospitals also contributed to the couple’s successful visit to Hungary, writes Blikk.hu. President of the Republic of Hungary János Áder sent a condolence letter to Queen Elizabeth.

“Your Majesty, I am very saddened to learn that His Royal Highness The Prince of Edinburgh passed away in the centenary of his life. Allow me to express to Your Majesty the sincere condolences of the Hungarian people,” wrote Áder.

• Hungarian doctor was awarded the British Empire Medal by Queen Elizabeth II

Source: Blikk.hu