The Duke’s kindness

SIR – I have clear memories of the Duke of Edinburgh’s charm.

The occasion was a royal walkabout at the RAF Finningley silver jubilee air show. The royal party walked between two long lines of Service families. The Queen, on the far side, was obscured by a phalanx of press photographers who moved shoulder-to-shoulder down the middle.

A small girl, holding flowers, and unable to see the Queen, burst into tears. Prince Philip bent down, pointed to the Queen Mother a few yards away and said: “Don’t worry. There is another Queen on this side and you can give the flowers to her.”

The posy was duly delivered. Nick Timms

Newark, Nottinghamshire