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deportment, leadership and relationships with his colleagues.


Jane met the Duke of Edinburgh four times through


her work at BRNC. She said: “The first time was in 1999, when he opened the Museum dedicated to him, commemorating the 60th


anniversary of his meeting


with the Queen at the College. “Then in 2005, during the College’s centenary, when he also provided a foreword for our book, Britannia Royal Naval College - An Illustrated History, written by Richard Porter and myself. He didn’t just dish those forewords out, we had to provide a full draft before he would agree. His contribution was lovely, with remembrances of his time at the College. “We wanted to make sure he received one of the


first copies, so we were invited to Buckingham Palace where Richard and I spent a lovely ten minutes with HRH in his private library. “In 2009 the Duke came back to the BRNC and the


“We were very happy to see Boris though. He’s only


the third serving Prime Minister to visit the College. Tony Blair dropped in on a whistle-stop tour of the South West military and David Cameron was the first to take the passing-out parade in 2012. “There were no friends and family at the parade because of Covid restrictions. Normally all the flags are out but it was a much more sombre mood because we were in mourning. Only the White Ensign flew, at half-mast.” When the College reopens to the public, as Covid


restrictions lift, there’s no doubt all the media attention will have enhanced people’s interest. Jane added: “I think the story of how the Duke met the future Queen here in 1939 – impressing her in his infamous jump over the College’s tennis net – is now imprinted on the nation’s memory. And the first photograph of them together on our croquet lawn has been seen by millions. “The original photo is in an album in the Museum.


We’ve had many media requests for a higher definition copy, but it was taken in the 1930s on a Box Brownie from behind a hedge – I’m quite sure if the photographer knew the significance of the shot they would’ve set it up properly for better quality!” The Duke of Edinburgh completed his officer


training at BRNC in 1939. It’s been widely published that he was “top cadet” at the College. Jane said he would’ve earned the title based purely on his performance at the College, not his royal heritage - for being the cadet with the best officer qualities in


Museum. The last time I saw him was at Plymouth University in 2012, when he was invited to open the university’s Marine Building and receive an honorary doctorate. I met him in the university’s Vice- Chancellor’s office after he’d received his copy of Dark Seas - the Battle of Cape Matapan. The Duke of Edinburgh penned the foreword to Dark


Seas, and Jane wrote the introduction to the book. It’s the only publication to have a first-hand account of the Battle of Cape Matapan, in the Mediterranean, by HRH. The last time the Queen visited BRNC in 2008 The


Duke was supposed to accompany her, but he was ill. Jane said the Queen talked about the significance of Dartmouth to her family. In 2011, on his 90th


birthday, the Queen made The


Duke of Edinburgh Lord High Admiral, head of the Royal Navy. The staff of office is at BRNC, the College’s oldest artefact – commissioned by Charles II in 1660. Jane added: “We very much feel the Duke of


Edinburgh’s inspiration and sense of duty will forever have a presence at the College and in the town.”


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