My Lords, as Secretary of State for Wales for six years, it was my duty and pleasure to be a Minister in attendance on Her Majesty the Queen, whose deep loss we mourn, and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on every occasion they visited Wales in my time in office.
Two events stand out in my memory. The first was supervising the arrangements for Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee tour of Wales, which seems such a long time ago: meeting the royal party at a railway siding in north Wales in the early hours of the morning and then, after the day’s programme, boarding HMS “Britannia” at Holyhead for three days and later travelling overnight to Milford Haven and Cardiff. During each day’s visits, His Royal Highness was intensely interested in all that he saw, including on a memorable visit to Bodnant Garden. Above all else, His Royal Highness showed immense kindness to my wife and me, and meticulous consideration and attention to detail to make our task easier during the tumultuous welcome we had throughout Wales.
On a later occasion, we both accompanied the royal party to the reopening of the Theatr Clwyd, when the great Welsh actor and dramatist, Emlyn Williams, delivered a gripping monologue including an imaginary bus excursion by the thirsty bards of Wales. After universal laughter, and the huge enjoyment of the Duke, he turned to me and said, “Is there really such a place as the Druid’s Tap?” I could only laugh in response. It was good to have been present.
2.51 pm