Prince Philip interview, 1990-02-05

His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in an interview after the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

He had been President of the Commonwealth Games Federation for the last 35 years, and he says each one had ended in organised chaos, so this one wasn't any different in that regard though it was "better organised chaos than usual". He has now retired from the role, which is now held by Prince Edward.

He speaks about the Games, and the issue of potential boycotts (which didn't eventuate). He also comments on the use of drugs in sport.

He discusses the criteria for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme; how the scheme works; and how it is funded.

The Duke also speaks about his interest in the Worldwide Fund for Nature. The organisation was previously called the World Wildlife Fund - he explains the reasoning behind the name change. He talks about the aim of the Fund, which is to prevent the extinction of wild species from the actions of human activity. He goes on to speak about conservation projects which focus on the conservation of animal habitats, giving the examples of tigers and pandas. He also speaks about funding different types of conservation projects.

He mentions his upcoming trip to the South Island and Steward Island, and conservation issues in New Zealand including drift net fishing. He also discusses the aims of CITES. He then speaks about conservation issues relating to Antarctica, and the advantages of making Antarctica a world park.

The interview concludes with the Duke sharing his thoughts on the future, in terms of population growth and technological advances impacting on resources and wildlife.