The real story behind Prince Philip’s infamous ‘slitty-eyed’ remark during 1986 China visit

Philip told British students they risked going ‘slitty-eyed’ if they stayed in China, referencing the Chinese saying that youngsters who stay too long in the West may go ‘round-eyed’

His quip caused a furore in the UK but not in China. British headlines included ‘Philip gets it all Wong’ and ‘The Great Wally of China’

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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip arriving at Guangzhou Airport in China in 1986. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 9:18pm, 9 Apr 2021Updated: 11:37pm, 9 Apr 2021

Prince Philip’s remark to British students in China about them turning “slitty-eyed” always tops his list of gaffes, though the story behind it is far less well-known.

The comment that kept coming back to haunt the Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 on Friday, characterised his off-colour quips and rankled with him ever afterwards.

It came on October 16, 1986 on the first and only British state visit to China, when the duke, the chancellor of Edinburgh University since 1953, met students from the institution who were starting a year learning Mandarin at Xian University.

“If you stay here much longer, you’ll all be slitty-eyed,” is the most common rendition, though other variants were reported.

Buckingham Palace confirmed comments to that effect.

But its reporting only came about thanks to a mix-up – and, according to two biographies, the Chinese saying that puts his quip into context did not feature.