The Duke of Edinburgh has raised eyebrows by asking the leader of the Scottish Conservatives if she was wearing tartan knickers at a reception for the Pope.




Prince Philip accompanied the Queen as she greeted Pope Benedict XVI




Gaffe-prone Prince Philip asked Annabel Goldie MSP about her underwear just after the Pontiff was welcomed to the UK by the Queen.
According to Ms Goldie, the Duke made the remark after meeting Iain Gray, the Scottish Labour leader, who was wearing a tartan tie.
He then turned to her to ask if she had a "pair of knickers made out of this?"
Ms Goldie replied: "I couldn't possibly comment - and even if I did, I couldn't possibly exhibit them."
The Scottish politician appears not to have been offended by the question and later remarked: "It's marvellous to know that humour is alive and well in the royal family."
A Tory source said she gave "hoots of laughter" in response to the Duke's remark.
However a royal spokeswoman would not comment on the incident as it was considered a "private conversation".
Prince Philip's risque sense of humour has been well-documented during his years in the public eye.
In 1986 he made a remark about Chinese people that was widely condemned as racist; claimed "British women can't cook" in the 1960s; and offended some members of the Aboriginal community by asking if they still throw spears.


Prince Philip In Tartan Knickers Gaffe To Scottish Conservatives' Annabel Goldie | Politics | Sky News



PS

This was his Chinese remark in 86:

If it has got four legs and is not a chair, if it has two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.