Prince Philip 'once mocked a blind Army cadet'

London, December 14 (ANI): Prince Philip once mocked a blind Army cadet, it has emerged.

The Duke of Edinburgh had made fun Stephen Menary, who had lost his eyesight at the age of 14, during his meeting with the Queen in 2002.

The Queen had asked Menary how much sight he had left after he suffered damage in a Territorial Army barracks in White City, west London, when the Real IRA hurled a bomb in 2001.

However, before he could answer, Philip joked looking at Menary who was wearing a red, navy, and yellow striped tie: "Not a lot, judging by the tie he is wearing."

Menary's mother Carol broke her silence on the incident during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show last week.

"Prince Philip is completely out of touch with reality, he is from another world," the Sun quoted her as saying.

She added: "There was a sharp intake of breath and myself and everyone around us reacted in disbelief. Even the Queen had a look of shock on her face as if to say 'why on Earth did you just say that?'

"Although I think there was no malice behind it, it was a tactless thing to say.

"Prince Philip is well known for this sort of thing and I realise he didn't mean to be cruel but we could've been really offended."

However, Carol insisted the Queen was "polite" and shook her son's hand.

Also, Menary, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, added: "I think Prince Philip was just trying to break the ice and put me at ease." (ANI)