Harold Macmillan let Prince Philip fly solo after accepting trying to dissuade ... trends now
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Rules were laid out for Prince Philip's solo flights in light aircraft after it was agreed it would be 'difficult' to stop him making them, declassified documents reveal.
Despite the late Duke of Edinburgh being an accomplished, qualified pilot, the then prime minister Harold Macmillan was called on to adjudicate on safety concerns.
Prince Philip gained his RAF wings in 1953, his helicopter wings in 1956 and his private pilot's licence in 1959.
In total, he achieved 5,986 hours in 59 types of aircraft during his life.
The Duke of Edinburgh disembarks from a Harvard Trainer aircraft on May 4, 1953, after a flight at RAF White Waltham, Berkshire, where he trained for his 'wings'
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin meets prime minister Harold Macmillan at Admiralty House in London on July 13, 1961
Mr Macmillan approved a set of rules in 1960 about when the Duke's solo flights in light aircraft should take place, the
