With the Christmas holidays approaching, Prince Charles was in good spirits during a meeting with officers of the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
The 73-year-old heir to the throne, who is Admiral of the Fleet, presided over the Lord High Admiral’s Divisions and attended the passing out parade. While on campus, the Prince of Wales presented deserving officers who stood out with special merit this year with The Queen’s Sword and reviewed officers before delivering an address.
During his address, the Prince spoke on his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away at the age of 99 earlier this year. This Prince spoke on his father’s role as Lord High Admiral and the important role the college played in his parents meeting one another:
“Britannia Royal Naval College has a rather special place in the hearts of my family. My father, as Lord High Admiral himself, was extremely proud of his links to this College, and it was here that my mother and father first met in the Captain’s garden while my grandfather, King George VI, carried out the inspection of your predecessors. For myself, it is somewhat alarming to think that fifty years ago, I was standing where you are as part of Blake Division on the eve of my own Naval service which, to this day, I still look back on with great fondness and pride.
“I know, from personal experience, just how much effort, hard work and commitment you will have put into your time at Dartmouth. I pray that it will stand you in good stead as you now continue into your professional training and transition to front line operations where your future will include a wide spectrum of unexpected demands… I can only wish each of you every possible success and good fortune as you embark on your future service to this nation. We are fortunate to have you.”
Then-Princess Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, during a meeting at the Royal Naval College in July 1939.
Only 13-years-old at the time, the Princess said she fell in love with Philip, and they began to exchange letters.
The couple announced their engagement on 9 July 1947 and married at Westminster Abbey in London on 20 November of that same year.
The Prince of Wales’s appearance comes as The Queen cancelled her annual Christmas Lunch for the second year in a row due to the global health crisis.
On average, the monarch welcomes about 50 or so relatives, including Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, to Buckingham Palace for the Christmas holiday. This year’s cancellation has been noted to be a ‘precautionary’ measure.