All the things he said: the legacy of Prince Philip and his all too often racist comments

How will the world cope without Prince Philip's wonderful ability to say just the right thing at public occasions? Who knows... But in memory of his long and colourful career, we have this list of his best work for you.

The Duke of Edinburgh will no longer carry out public engagements, Buckingham Palace has announced. (AAP) Source: EPA

Prince Philip has announced he is retiring from his job - whatever that is. Let's reflect on his long and verbally incontinent career. Here is a round up of some of his best moments under the spotlight.

“If you stay here much longer, you will go home with slitty eyes.” Said to a British student in China in 1986.

“You managed not to get eaten then?” Said to someone who had just hiked across Papua New Guinea.

“How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test?” Said to a Scottish driving instructor in 1995.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attends the Order of Merit service at Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, in London. Source: AAP

“It looks as though it was put in by an Indian.” Description of a fuse box at a Scottish factory in 1999. Later he claimed: “I meant to say cowboys. I just got my cowboys and Indians mixed up.”

“There's a lot of your family in tonight.” Said in 2009 to an Indian businessman at an event for British Indians to meet the Queen.

“If it has four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies, but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it.” World Wildlife Fund meeting, 1986.

“You ARE a woman, aren't you?” Said to a Kenyan woman in 1994 at an award ceremony.

“And what exotic part of the world do you come from?” The question asked in 1999 of British politician Lord Taylor, who is of Jamaican ancestry. Taylor responded with: “Birmingham.”

“Oh no, I might catch some ghastly disease.” When asked in 1992 if he wanted to pat a koala.

“Do you still throw spears at each other?” The Prince to Aboriginal Elder William Brin in Queensland, 2002.

 “So who's on drugs here?... HE looks as if he's on drugs.” At Bangladeshi youth club, 2002.

"I don't know how they are going to integrate in places like Glasgow and Sheffield.” Said about a group of students from Brunei.

“Reichskanzler.” Calling German chancellor Helmut Kohl by Hitler's title during a speech in 1997.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip watch as Warren Clements of the makes fire by rubbing sticks in Cairns, Australia, Friday, March 1, 2002. Source: AP

“It looks like the kind of thing my daughter would bring back from her school art lessons." Said about traditional Ethiopian art.

“Are you all one family?” Said to a mixed race dance group at a Royal Variety Performance.

“Who do you sponge off?” Said to a group of Asian women who were volunteers at a London community centre.

“You look like you’re ready for bed!” Said to the President of Nigeria who was wearing traditional garb.