For a man who never got on a bus or hailed a cab and lived decades without a wallet in his pocket, there was something disarmingly down to earth about Prince Philip.

At least that’s what I gleaned during a 90-minute lunch at Buckingham Palace where I found myself unexpectedly sitting at the left of the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. In his early 90s then, he was sharp, knowledgeable, humorous, and provocative. During this annual luncheon for a conservation group of which I sat on a U.S. advisory board, he was both deeply concerned about conservation efforts—and clearly out to enjoy himself.

He told me he thought every red deer in Britain should be shot because there were too many