Prince Philip: Memories of two visits to Scilly in the 1960s
- Published
In 1967 the Queen and Prince Philip visited Tresco with Prince Charles and Princess Anne who were teenagers at the time
A former primary school teacher on the Isles of Scilly has been recalling two visits by the Duke of Edinburgh to the islands in the 1960s.
Prince Philip visited the islands, 28-miles off Cornwall, with the Queen in 1967 and alone in 1968.
He died last week aged 99.
On the first visit the Queen and Prince Philip visited Tresco with Prince Charles and Princess Anne who were teenagers at the time.
Rosalind Robinson, 79 was a school teacher on the island for four years and now lives in Darlington, County Durham.
She said: "It was so exciting. Everybody was on such a high to have a royal visit."
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had to shelter from the rain on their 1967 visit
The school children were dancing around a maypole to mark the occasion, when "the heavens opened and I really didn't know what to do", she said.
"He came straight over to me because he knew that things were getting uncomfortable and he sorted it all out."
"He said 'We're getting awfully wet, do you mind if we go inside?'"
Rosalind Robinson taught on the Isles of Scilly for four years
They all went inside the small school: "We were squashed in like sardines for a little while", Mrs Robinson recalled.
"The rain wasn't going to stop so then they had to get back to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was moored in the bay, so we all had to say goodbye and off they went."
The following year Prince Philip visited Scilly alone on a low key visit, arriving on Bryher by helicopter.
Children danced around the maypole to mark the royal visit
Mrs Robinson said: "I took my little class over to see him again and we all made Union Jacks and lined up on the grass waiting for the helicopter to land.
"He came straight over to us and said, 'Oh hello everybody, have you been given a day off to come and see me?' And I said 'No we were given a whole day when you came with the Queen but we've only been given half a day today for you', and he laughed. He really laughed. It's nice to have these memories."
"He's been such a wonderful, wonderful husband to our Queen. I don't know what she'd have done without him. He's been marvellous.
"He's been absolutely wonderful for our country and we're going to miss him."
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