- The Duke of Edinburgh showed Sir David Suchet 'incredibly dexterous' abilities
- Actor met Philip during lunch at Buckingham Palace with the late Queen Elizabeth II
The late Prince Philip had the secret skill of slicing and peeling a mango perfectly, Sir David Suchet has revealed.
The Duke of Edinburgh showed off his 'incredibly dexterous' abilities to the actor during a lunch at Buckingham Palace with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
His knife skills were so impressive that Sir David went on to use them in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot, in which the Belgian detective credited 'a certain Duke' with showing him how to eat one.
The acclaimed actor sent a copy of the film to the palace and said he would henceforth be known as 'Mango Man' by the late Prince Philip.
Speak with Candis magazine, the 77-year-old said: 'The Queen would sometimes host small, intimate lunches at Buckingham Palace and I was lucky enough to be invited to them.
In The Theft of the Royal Ruby, Sir David Suchet's character Poirot sees a mango in a fruit bowl and demonstrates how to eat one, before telling the owner: 'A certain Duke taught me'
The scene shows the Belgian detective cutting a mango with a knife at a country house
Poirot credits “a certain Duke” with showing him how to eat the mango
Sir David recorded the Duke of Edinburgh's skill in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot
'I was talking to the Duke of Edinburgh when the fruit bowl reached me. I didn't want to break eye contact with him, so I reached over my shoulder and discovered that I had picked a mango.
'All I knew about a mango was that it was best eaten in the bath, when you could make as much mess of it as you wanted, but I was at Buckingham Palace.
“So I made the quick decision. I turned to Prince Philip and said, 'Excuse me, sir, I think I would embarrass myself if I tried to eat this mango.
'He immediately picked up the cue – 'Don't worry', he said 'give it to me and I'll show you how'. With these words he demonstrated in front of everyone how to cut and peel a mango.
Prince Philip is pictured in London on October 18, 2013. He died on April 9, 2021 in Windsor
Sir David Suchet during an investiture ceremony with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2002
Sir David shares a joke with Queen Elizabeth II at the Almeida Theater in London in March 1999
'He was incredibly deft in the process, then he looked at me and said 'Voilà' – just like Poirot – everyone laughed.”
Afterwards, Sir David called his producer to tell him that the method should be included in a Poirot film.
In The Theft of the Royal Ruby, Poirot, as requested, visits a large country house, sees a mango in the fruit bowl where he demonstrates how to eat one, before telling the owner, “A certain Duke taught me.”
“When the film is finished, we will have sent a copy to the palace,” he continued. “Forever after, whenever I was at a party where Prince Philip was present, he would say 'ah, Mango Man'.”