Prince Philip Visited Beverly Hills 4 Times

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — As the world mourns the death of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, some Beverly Hillers may remember that he visited town four times to hobnob with the closest thing America has to royalty - Hollywood stars and the Reagan family.

Prince Philip first visited Beverly Hills in March 1966, where he attended a fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton for Variety Clubs International - now Variety International, a charity for children in developing countries. According to a report in Variety, the Duke of Edinburgh helped raise $200,000 for the charity, worth roughly $1.6 million in today’s money.

According to Variety columnist Army Archerd, Prince Philip spent the day at a picnic at the studios of 20th Century Fox, “where I introduced literally every star in the Hollywood heavens to Prince Philip as we ambled around checker-clothed picnic tables.” After the fundraising dinner at the Hilton, Archerd says that the Duke was treated to a home-cooked Chinese meal at actor Danny Kaye’s home.

Prince Philip stopped by again, this time with the Queen, in early 1983 as part of an official California tour. Women’s Wear Daily posted a photo of His Royal Highness living up to his title in a smart suit for an event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. On the eight-day trip, the royal couple visited a Hollywood sound stage - a lifelong dream of the Queen’s, according to the Washington Post - Yosemite National Park, and rode horses with Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

The royal couple returned the following year for the Los Angeles Olympics, although Patch cannot find any record of them traveling specifically to Beverly Hills.

Prince Philip met the Reagans again in Beverly Hills in May 1989, when he presented Ronald with the Winston Churchill Award in front of 700 guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

In March 2000, Prince Philip stayed at the Presidential Suite of the Beverly Hills Hotel en route to a trip to Australia to meet with the Queen, according to Variety. While here, he made sure to again catch up with the Reagans. He presented Nancy Reagan with the Leadership Award from the Congressional Award Foundation for her efforts against drug abuse. That night, he enjoyed a black-tie dinner in his honor at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Beverly Hills and its world-class hotels, stores, and restaurants have long hosted royalty from around the world. The Beverly Hills Hotel - also known as the Pink Palace - is known to be a favorite of William and Kate, who stayed there in 2011 during a post-wedding United States tour. And as Harry and Meghan - escaped the clutches of Prince Philip and his family - they camped out in another palace: Tyler Perry’s $18 million, 24,545 square foot Mediterranean mansion on a 22-acre lot atop Beverly Ridge Estates in Beverly Hills Post Office.