Prince Philip was quite a remarkable man in so many ways. I believe that a large percentage of the population, not just in Britain but worldwide, are only now realising how special he was.
It was while I was watching the news outlets reporting his death that I remembered that I had met him before, shaken his hand, and had a brief conversation with him at The British Ambassador’s Residence in Moscow. This was back when he had been visiting Moscow as President of the World Wildlife Fund, and I’d had the privilege of meeting him at a cocktail party that was hosted by the Ambassador because I was one of few Brits doing business in Moscow at that time.
Then, I remembered that I had also met Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma. In July 1958, I was the Senior Chief Petty Officer Boy on the Royal Naval training ship – Arethusa – stationed on the River Medway in Kent. My rank meant I was head boy of 240 boys on the ship. When I was fifteen, Lord Mountbatten came to present end-of-term prizes and I was presented with the Coulby Cobbins Memorial Prize and the Thomas Gray Memorial Prize. I was also given the responsibility of carrying his briefcase off the ship and into his waiting Rolls Royce. I got into the front of his grand car, with his bag on my lap, and he got into the back with one of the officers from the ship; whom he served with during the war. We then drove for about ten minutes to the playing fields where a helicopter was waiting for him. I jumped out of the car and carried his briefcase to the helicopter, where he thanked me and went on his way.
