Joanna Lumley was left red-faced after asking Prince Philip to leave her one of his paintings in his will.

Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley

The 'Absolutely Fabulous' star - who has been a friend of Philip for several years - has admitted she can't believe she had the "nerve" to ask for one of the 95-year-old royal's masterpieces when he dies.

Speaking on ITV documentary 'When Phillip met Prince Philip: 60 years of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award', Lumley said of Philip: "He is very, very interested in art. I think he's a fine painter. One of the paintings that he showed me I loved and he'd done it himself.

"He was dismissive. I said, 'Sir, I wonder if when you shuffle off the mortal coil whether that would find its way into my hands.'"

When presenter Phillip Schofield responded saying, 'What!', she admitted: "I don't know how I had the nerve. Well I wanted the painting. I liked it so much. I wanted it. What impertinence."

Elsewhere, in the hour-long special, which has been put together to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, the prince's son Prince Edward's wife Sophie made a touching tribute to Philip.

Of her father-in-law, Sophie, 51, said: "He's constantly reading, keeps bang up to date with current affairs... His physical capability is extraordinary. He keeps himself pretty fit and he is active and I think he's probably of the mind: if you don't use it, you lose it kind of thing. Everybody in the family really looks up to him and respects him."

And she also praised him for standing by his wife, Queen Elizabeth throughout her 63-year reign.

She continued: "I think for her to know that he is there and takes a genuine interest obviously in everything that she does must be fantastic.

"He's been a fantastic life partner for her. As a female in the top job it's important I think to have somebody that you can lean on, that you can discuss things with, that she can be open and honest with behind closed doors.

"For her to have found somebody like him, I don't think she could have chosen better."

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