Prince Philip and the myth of stoicism

In all the coverage of Prince Philip’s death, one word in the tributes keeps grabbing my attention: stoicism. The Spectator wrote that ‘Prince Philip epitomised a very British stoicism; the Times said ‘the royal marriage was built on stoicism, the odd clash and a deep sense of understanding’. The New Yorker meanwhile claimed that ‘with Prince Philip’s death has passed the Last Embers of British Stoicism.’ 

Prince Philip was of course Greek in origin, but it is a bit of a stretch to call him and her Majesty devotees of Stoicism, the philosophy of Zeno of Athens, Epictetus and Seneca. On the evidence of Christmas broadcasts for the last few decades, there is much more to suggest they drew inspiration from one of Seneca’s exact contemporaries – Jesus of Nazareth. 

Conflating Stoicism and Christianity is easily done. The Prime Minister recently praised the Church in the UK for sacrifices made over the past twelve months, foregoing meeting in person and serving their communities: ‘I know that has been a huge burden for many Christians, but it is a burden you have borne with selfless stoicism without complaint.’