A faceless sculpture of Prince Philip (1921-2021) is to be dismantled years after it was apparently erected without permission. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the statue had previously been described by a city planner as “possibly the worst quality work ever submitted.”
The approximately four meter high bronze statue, which stands in front of an office building in Cambridge city center, shows the husband of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), who died in 2021, in an academic gown with a twisted, abstract face. According to the Guardian report, the statue called “The Don” was intended to commemorate Prince Philip’s honorary work as Chancellor of Cambridge University for almost 35 years. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, a plaque beneath the sculpture reads: “His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1977-2011.”
However, the work of art was not well received from the start. An art critic called it “garbage disguised as public art,” as The Guardian further reports. It is apparently unknown who created the statue, worth 150,000 pounds (around 175,000 euros). Apparently due to the criticism of the work of art, no artist had publicly acknowledged it. The trouble will soon be a thing of the past: Cambridge city council has now apparently asked the company that owns the property to remove the work by August.
Prince Philip married the then Princess and heir to the throne Elizabeth in 1947. The marriage lasted until his death in April 2021. As of 2017, the Duke of Edinburgh had largely withdrawn from the public eye.
