The Duke and I: when he told me a ‘scientific’ joke!
Sunil Murlidhar Shastri, FRGS, FRSA
Consultant | Expert | Speaker
Director, OceanGovernance Limited
+44 7771 685414 (WhatsApp/FaceTime)
Back in September 2000, the late, great Elisabeth Mann Borgese, my friend, philosopher and guide – ‘my mother’ – faxed me a one liner – “Sunil, how about coming with me to Buckingham Palace on 10 October 2000 as an early birthday (mine’s is the 12 October) gift? Much love, As ever, Elisabeth”. And I said, yes please! EMB, as we called her, had an invitation to meet HRH the Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh for ‘Tea’ at 4:00pm that day. We were told to submit our identification details, etc. and by early October we had the rules of etiquette from the Palace. A fairly long and exhaustive list of do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do that, and so on.
On the day, EMB’s small entourage met at the Athenaeum for a light lunch. We were driven to the Palace at 3pm and after the initial identity and security checks, we were ushered into the Chinese Drawing Room in the East Wing of the Buckingham Palace. This is on the first floor of the Palace to your far right as you stand facing it. We were met by the Duke’s Equerry a very smart, beautiful woman who was a Squadron Leader with the Red Arrows. She ran through the rules of etiquettes again. Speak when you are spoken to. Offer your hand only if/when he offers his hand. Don’t hold his hand but don’t try to extricate your hand if he is holding your hand, etc, etc. We were then offered tea and soft drinks and escorted to the washrooms and generally made to feel at home.
At the appointed hour, the door at the far end of the Room opened and the Diary Secretary entered to announce the Duke. He was ramrod straight and very smart as we have always seen him. EMB and the Duke exchanged some pleasantries thereafter and then EMB presented him with her latest book ‘The Oceanic Circle’ and he presented his recent writings as Founder President of WWF. Then before making their customary speeches and ‘tea’, EMB introduced each one of us to the Duke. After she told him our names, he had two pretty much standard questions: Are you her family, friend or co-worker and what do you do for a living. I was halfway along the line-up, very excited and nervous but at least, I wasn’t the very first.
So, he comes to me, we shake hands and he asks: Are you EMB’s family or friend or co-worker? I said, a bit of all three, Your Royal Highness. What do you do for a living? I said, I lecture in Marine Policy, Sir. So, is that like natural sciences or social sciences or law or management? I said, it’s a bit of everything, Sir. Then he looked at EMB and looked at his Equerry and up and down and said, ‘let me think of a scientific joke!’ I could see the Equerry’s face going red. At this point, the Duke was holding my hand in both his hands and he exclaimed, I’ve got one! ‘How do you sex chromosomes?’. I hadn’t a clue so I said rather sheepishly, how do you sex chromosomes, Sir, and he goes, ‘just pull down their genes!
