It is both a pleasure and an honour to represent my constituents in today’s tribute to His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Rather appropriately, I was only a stone’s throw from the sea when I drafted this speech on Sunday—the sea upon which Prince Philip served with such distinction in the Royal Navy. I heard the dreaded but not unexpected news outside Weymouth station on Friday. My first thought was for Her Majesty the Queen and their family. My second was for the nation, which has lost an immeasurable treasure.
My own association with Prince Philip was limited. I physically met him once, at the National Sailing Academy on Portland, and I joined him on parade twice for Trooping the Colour. I also received plenty of feedback from my parents, especially my mother, when he came
to stay at home while on duty in Dorset. I cannot claim, therefore, to have known him, but the odd thing is that I feel as though I did. Judging by the tributes that have poured in, it appears that many share that sentiment, such was the man.
There is another source of information about the Prince that I would like to share with the House. Admiral Sir Robert Woodard KCVO commanded the royal yacht for five years before she was laid up. A special friendship with my dear departed papa has passed to me. As he is unable to address the House himself, I am the admiral’s humble conduit. As the House can imagine, the admiral got to know the Duke well, as he was revered by both officers and crew. To the admiral, the Duke was a quite outstanding man. The admiral continues in his own words:
“We will only discover what he has achieved worldwide after his death and with wonderment. Amongst his huge gifts is, perhaps, the most important––a huge sense of humour and fun. Set light to it, and the evening’s made! He was a very rewarding man to recount a funny incident to. Whilst commanding the yacht, there were several occasions when the plan did not always account for factors that affected the aim! High winds in confined areas is one. Going through Pegasus Bridge at the D-day celebrations at minimum steering speed of 6 knots, in the failing light and with only 8 feet either side we could not even see the water from each end of the ship’s Bridge! ‘Keep your eyes on the road!’ Prince Philip said. ‘That’s all I can see, sir,’ I replied, and we both laughed.
Prince Philip would express his satisfaction with your efforts if they deserved it, and add a cryptic comment. He was always concerned that everyone was being properly looked after. He was insistent on being given the complete detail about any modification to the yacht herself. If at the end of your explanation you had not completely convinced him––stand by for searching questions! He was a good listener, but don’t rattle on.
Both the Prince and Her Majesty the Queen enjoyed nothing more than looking after themselves. And nowhere did this become more evident than at family barbecues. The Duke did the cooking, the Queen, the ‘greens’. Finally, I witnessed Prince Philip’s involvement in a speech being drafted by the Queen. His was the penultimate version.”
So says the admiral.
The admiral, like me, can think of no greater tribute to the Duke than to build and commission another royal yacht. The white ensign flying proudly from any of Her Majesty’s ships is enough to stir most hearts, quite apart from generating all the good will and business that Britannia did so supremely well. Our sympathies extend to the Queen and the royal family for their loss. The Duke’s legacy will live on for countless years. He was the Queen’s rock for 73 years, but he was the nation’s, too. God bless her, and rest in peace.
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