We can criticize Prince Philip for a lot: he has a long history of racism, infidelity, general unpleasantness and sexism. But one of the few things I like about Philip – at least back in the day – was that he was always an intellectually curious man. He loved to get out of the palace, and he had a wide assortment of friends and associates from all walks of life, from all levels of education and background. I don’t believe the Queen is particularly curious about anything, but Phil was always pretty worldly. Maybe even other-worldly? Apparently, Philip has always been interested in reading about extraterrestrials, aliens, Ufology and more.

Like all good X-files fans, Prince Philip knows that “the truth is out there,” which is why the royal has reportedly spent decades preparing himself for a close encounter of the third kind by compiling a library of books on the subject. According to The Sun, it was Philip’s uncle Lord Mountbatten who first sparked his interest in the subject of extraterrestrials. Mountbatten wrote an official report about a flying saucer landing on his Broadlands estate in Romsey, Hampshire after it was spotted by bricklayer Fred Briggs in February 1955. According to the report, which was kept secret until after his uncle’s death in 1979, Briggs claims that he saw a flying saucer hover above the ground and a man dressed in overalls and a helmet emerge before he was knocked off his bike and held to the ground by an “unseen force.”

Last summer, the husband of Queen Elizabeth also reportedly brushed up on his knowledge of alien sightings by reading The Halt Perspective about the Rendlesham Forest Incident which took place over the course of three nights beginning on December 26, 1980 near Suffolk, England. The book chronicles the series of UFO sightings and unexplained lights that took place on two U.S. airbases on those nights, with one officer even claiming he was close enough to touch the spacecraft.

In a letter to one of the co-authors of the book, retired West Midlands detective John Hanson, Philip’s private secretary Brigadier Archie Miller-Bakewell reportedly wrote, “I am certain it will be read with close interest over the summer.” After receiving another book on the topic— Haunted Skies: The Encyclopedia of British UFOs—Miller-Bakewell again replied, “His Royal Highness will add this copy to his collection. It will make a most welcome addition to his library.”

When asked about this recent revelation of the Prince’s interest in his book, Hanson told the outlet, “Why shouldn’t any sensible person have an interest in a phenomenon that has baffled mankind for millennia?”

[From Vanity Fair]

Do I really believe that Philip, at the age of 99, is kicking back in Windsor Castle, reading about UFOs? Not really. But perhaps he gets people (Penny?) to read to him. And I’ll also buy the idea that Philip has always had an interest in Ufology and aliens, and I bet Lord Mountbatten did too. They both seem like the type to have an interest in that stuff. Lord, I hope Ancient Aliens devotes an episode to alien-hunters in the British royal family. COME ON!! We all know that Henry VIII was an alien. Alien technology made Westminster Abbey! The aliens did Stonehenge!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.