Johnson pays tribute to Philip’s ‘amazingly distinguished career’
BORIS JOHNSON paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh’s “amazingly distinguished” career in the navy during a visit to the college where he was a cadet.
The Prime Minister said his thoughts were once more with the Queen while at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, which is where the young Royal couple met for the first time in 1939.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the naval college with their two daughters when Philip, then 18, and the 13-yearold Elizabeth had their first publicised meeting.
In commemoration of the Duke, Mr Johnson attended a passing-out parade at the college yesterday, where he congratulated naval cadets as they became officers and spoke with them about their career ambitions.
In May 1939, Philip, then aged 17, entered the college as a special-entry naval cadet for training, following the footsteps of his paternal grandfather and uncles.
He was named best cadet on his course before beginning a career in the Royal Navy in which he served during the Second World
War and reached the rank of commander.
Meanwhile, the Commandant General of the Royal Marines spoke of the “generous” time the Duke of Edinburgh gave to the regiment.
Major General Matt Holmes claimed yesterday that Philip had a “long and happy association” with the Royal Marines, with whom he held the ceremonial title of Captain General for 64 years until 2017.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said of the Duke: “We were utterly privileged and honoured to enjoy his company on numerous occasions.
“He gave his support to the corps and often visited us on operations at home during his time.
“We had numerous encounters and I think that was the beauty of his service with us. He was always generous with his time.”