Rhyl Journal readers share their fondest memories of Prince Philip

Prince Philip died aged 99 on Friday, April 9, two months before his 100th birthday.

Gerry Frobisher, a town councillor for Meliden, who left his role as the volunteering and wellbeing development officer (youth lead) with Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) in 2018 after 18 years, has attended four garden palace parties over the years and one Buckingham Palace reception.

The volunteer for North Wales Young Dragons, who met Prince Charles when he was appointed MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and invested with it by Prince Charles in 2007, said: “It is such sad news about Prince Philip passing.

“As a family we have met him several times over the years. He was with the Queen when I chatted with her during her visit to Venue Cymru in the early 2000’s - I cannot recall the date.

Photographer Phil Micheu shared this never before published picture that he took of Prince Philip

“My son Adam was awarded his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award by Prince Philip at St James’s Palace in London on November 12, 2013. He enjoyed perusing his bronze, silver and gold of awards and learnt about new personal skills, team work and leadership. My daughter Harriet also completed her bronze, silver and gold awards and even went on to get a diamond award.

“My wife Sharon and I attended Prince Philip’s 94th birthday garden party on June 10 2014 and I took a picture of the prince at a garden party I attended on May 28 2015.

“Sharon spoke to him during a visit he made with the Queen to Mold in the late 1990’s. She spoke to him about Meliden Youth Club, the North Wales community group she was representing.She said he was easy to talk to.”

Gerry added: “She also said he was a good listener and quite funny with his responses.”

Phil Micheu, Kinmel Bay based photographer and freelance photographer for the Journal, snapped the Duke of Edinburgh during a royal visit he was covering.

“I can’t remember which Royal visit it was, I’ve covered quite a few North Wales visits over the years,” he said.

“This was definitely one of the early ones. It must have been late 1960’s or early ‘70’s. I was working for another media outlet.

“I remember breaking away from the press pack to sneak a bit closer, to get a better angle of view, as they greeted the mayor below the steps at the entrance to the King’s Gate, Caernarfon Castle.

“We had been allocated a certain area. We couldn’t see though - only their backs, so I quickly wriggled though the crowd and took a face shot.

The photograph makes me feel that I have lived through a part of history. I feel privilege that I was there and I witnessed it.”

“In those days, ordinary people couldn’t take these shots. They didn’t have the equipment or they didn’t know how to use them.

“You had to be trained and learn your craft.”

Mark Williams, who runs the LIMB-art business based at Nant-y-Lladron in Denbigh, was working for Ecolab when he met Prince Philip in 2018.

Mr Williams, of Rhyl, said: “I was leading a project where we managed to turn milk into a disinfectant and we won the HRH Prince Phillip Innovation of the Year award. We were invited by Prince Phillip to Buckingham Palace to receive our award where we spent around a hour in the centre room from which the royal balcony is accessed drinking tea with him.

“I talked to him about our innovation and it was clear he was well briefed on what we had done and even asked his aid to put me in contact with Prince Charles as he had a ‘few’ dairy farms that could use our innovation.

Mark Williams meets HRH Prince Philip in 2008

“The conversation soon turned away from the awards to HRH himself and how he was struggling to agree with ‘all this new Health and Safety Nonsense’ - he told us a few weeks prior ‘I was opening a new building in London and as I walked through the building all the workmen leaned over the railings above to see me and a shower of hard hats rained down on me - bloody ridiculous’ and he laughed.

“He spoke to you like an equal person and you felt at ease right from the first moment with him. It was a privilege to have spoken to him, shaken his hand and have listened to his jokes.”

Rachael Wheatley, of Meliden and Gunsmoke Communications, was working as PR manager at Chester Zoo when she met Prince Philip in 2012.

“It’s not every day you get the chance to take part in a royal visit, never mind organise one,” she said.

“During 2012, HRH The Queen and Prince Philip toured the UK as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Anyone involved in organising a royal visit will tell you they are unlike any other event. I was the PR manager at Chester Zoo and the High Sheriff of Cheshire had persuaded Buckingham Palace the zoo could be a good place to visit.

“One unremarkable mid-week day, one of the zoo’s directors pulled me to one side and asked if I could come up with a ‘creative storyboard for a special event.’ I had 24 hours to put together something colourful, energetic and fun - the emphasis being on fun - to present to the palace the following day.

“The palace was 80 per cent convinced to put the zoo on the Queen’s nationwide tour list but needed a little shove over the finishing line - 'keep it colourful, the Duke likes fun’ was the brief from the top. Fortunately for me, Buckingham Palace didn’t just like the plan, they loved it, and later, as a bonus, they asked if we could include a trip on the monorail. By now, four of us were working full-time on the event and our collective hearts sank. The monorail was many things, but reliable it was not. We tried valiantly to explain this to the palace, who were having none of it.

“Fast forward a few months, and there we were on a cold May day, surrounded by all the colours of the Commonwealth.

“We flew keepers, conservationists and rangers in from around the globe. We found groups of dancers and musicians from across the UK to bring entertainment and joy to the proceedings. Animal houses were scrubbed; staff briefed; children marshalled, bunting hung, routes lined. The Queen and The Duke arrived, twinkly-eyed and smiling. We held our breath as they boarded the old monorail, wrapped in a Union flag, and only breathed out again once the train had trundled safely over the lions.

“Reflecting on it now, the whole event was nothing short of a privilege.

“The royal couple were charming and made you smile. Engaged and interested, Prince Philip was delightfully funny, and the roar of laughter could be heard across the zoo.

“I was fortunate that day to see the royal couple together, at close quarters.

“Sadly, we won’t see the likes of Prince Philip again. One of a kind and that sense of royal fun.

"The lights shine a little less bright today.”

Prince Philip’s funeral will take place on Saturday.

The ceremonial royal event will be held at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Proceedings will be televised, but due to current Covid-19 restrictions, only 30 guests will be in attendance.