Edinburgh, as he was now known, went in her stead. His uncle, Lord Mountbatten, accompanied him to Lord High Admiral’s divisions. Throughout the 60 years of his wife’s reign he has been a very popular visitor to Dartmouth and was even described in one publication as ‘The most popular visitor to the BRNC ever’.
The couple would not visit again for four years, and when she did it was not a happy visit. Coming to the town in July 1962, the town’s councillors were told that 30 minutes had been made available for meeting dignitaries in the town. The councillors decided this wasn’t enough time and asked for the allocation to be increased.
It was actually reduced by ten minutes. The elected representatives lined up to complain - but the mayor Richard Hoare was quick to jump in and state that the town was ‘honoured’ to have the visit and any time she gave would be wonderful.
As it was, terrible weather meant that there would be few opportunities for the local people to see the pair. But the Duke again showed himself a bit of a wit: when introduced to the local councillors, who included butchers, jewellers and a gas fitter he asked ‘Haven’t you got a candlestick maker?’
In 1971 Prince Charles attended the BRNC and demonstrated his desire to fit in by arriving two days after the other cadets. in his blue Aston Martin. The Queen and Prince Philip visited again in 1972, once more for Lord High Admiral’s Divisions and really made the most of the visit – spending more than an hour walking and greeting the crowds with Princess Anne. The Queen herself requested the walkabout and was received with absolute adoration – as was her husband and the young Princess. Prince Philip had a whale of a time according to contemporary reports – although he admitted to being ‘baffled’ by a demonstration of Judo.
It would be 16 years before the Queen and her husband came again to Dartmouth.
Visiting again in April, the couple were bathed in sunshine as they toured the grounds of the BRNC spending five unhurried hours visiting the place they had first met.
Though when they did try to leave they were unexpectedly delayed – as a Townstal woman Lisa Chesswas’s ambulance halted the Royal Cavalcade as she was rushed to hospital to have her daughter Claire. ‘They had to stop the Queen to let us through,’ said Lisa. ‘I passed her at Norton Park and saw her from the ambulance.’
They visited again in 1997 and 2008. It was during her 2008 visit that the Queen made a speech that contained perhaps her most heartfelt expression of affection for Dartmouth and the BRNC: “It is here at the Royal Naval College, perhaps more than anywhere else, that I am reminded of how time flies by. My grandfather, father, husband and two sons have all undergone training here, and I have had many visits over the years. I find it hard to believe that it is very nearly seventy years ago that I first came here with my parents just before the last war.” Dartmouth has welcomed
every royal single visit and hopes for many more to come.•
All the photographs shown are from the Queens visit to Dartmouth in 1972. The front page of the Chronicle (right) is from 1962. (all pics courtesy of the Totnes Image Bank)
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