Farewell, Sir. They don’t make ‘em like you these days!
After 22,219 engagements, tireless Duke bids farewell to royal duties
IT was his 22,219th solo engagement in 65 years of public service – and, officially, his last.
Typically, however, the Duke of Edinburgh showed not a whiff of emotion as he walked off into his well-deserved retirement at the age of 96, despite the tears of his staff.
Instead there was just a modest wave of his hand to acknowledge the spontaneous cheer that rang out over the gravelled forecourt at Buckingham Palace from the crowds outside as he met Royal Marines who had completed the 1664 Global Challenge charity event.
And then, as the Royal Marines Band of Plymouth played a rousing rendition of For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow, his bowler-hatted figure disappeared without even so much as a backward glance. So very Philip!
Buckingham Palace had revealed in May that he had decided, with the full support of the Queen, to step back from public life. Although he may choose to attend events, such as Trooping The Colour, from time to time, the Duke will no longer undertake any official duties.
‘You can see he is in good form and good spirits, but ultimately only he knows how he feels. It is very much his personal choice to step back now,’ a senior royal aide told the Mail.
Philip’s first engagement with the Queen after their marriage was an afternoon party on December 16, 1947.
His first solo engagement was a visit to the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs boxing finals at the Royal Albert Hall on March 2, 1948.
Since the Queen came to the throne in 1952, the Duke has made 637 overseas visits, given 5,496 speeches and stepped up as patron for 785 charities and organisations. It is an impressive list of achievements but doesn’t even begin to capture, say those who have worked with him, the often under- appreciated passion, vigour and fierce intelligence he brought to his work.
Yesterday, alone as his wife has already departed London to spend the summer at Balmoral, that dynamism was still very much in evidence as he strode out from the Palace five minutes early and stood to attention, ramrod straight, on a small dais in the driving rain.
Despite the formality of the occasion, there was a rather jolly feel with the band playing tunes including Life On The Ocean Wave and Rod Stewart’s Sailing.
Dressed in a lounge suit and Royal Marines tie with, apparently, 17 medals hidden under his raincoat (including his War Medal 1939-1945 with Mention in Dispatches, and Atlantic Star), the Duke wore the Guards bowler hat he sports, when not in uniform, to take the salute when the National Anthem is played.
The only concession to his age was the merest brush of the handrail as he stepped up to the dais.
Philip’s association with the Royal Marines stretches back to June 2, 1953, when he was appointed as Captain General in succession to the late George VI.
After taking the Royal Salute, he met some of the Marines who took part in the 1664 Global Challenge – named after the year in which the corps was founded. They have been running 1,664 miles to raise money for their charity.
Philip being Philip, it was also the opportunity for one last pithy aside. Corporal Will Thompson, 33, from Hackney, East London, said: ‘He was pretty upbeat, considering the weather – he said we should all be locked up.’
Corporal Jamie Gingell, 31, from Carlisle, added: ‘He said we were mad for running that distance.’
Former Brigadier Mike Ellis, chief executive of the Royal Marines Association, said: ‘I do feel sorry for him because it’s his last public event and it’s rained on his parade quite considerably.’
At the end of the ceremony, the Duke offered a jaunty and appreciate wave of his hat as the assembled troops gave him a lusty three cheers. He then strode off, his brisk military pace barely faltering, even as he turned to acknowledge the crowds. The look on his face was that of a man who was genuinely embarrassed at the fuss.
Tracey Devlin, from Northampton, one of the hundreds who had gathered outside the Palace, said: ‘He doesn’t much look like someone who is ready for retirement, but let’s hope he enjoys it. He’s earned it.’ Few would disagree.
‘He doesn’t look ready to retire’