Prince Philip: Poppy artist says prince was 'nation's grandfather'

The Queen and Prince Philip toured the poppy installation in October 2014

An artist has said he was "taken aback" to meet the Duke of Edinburgh, whom he described as "almost like the grandfather of the nation".

The late Prince Philip visited Paul Cummins' poppy installation at the Tower of London in 2014.

Mr Cummins, from Derby, said he was "a very kind man" and found he was "very good at putting you at your ease".

The Tower of London installation marked the anniversary of the outbreak of World War One.

The work, officially called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, featured 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British or colonial life lost in the conflict.

Paul Cummins says the Duke of Edinburgh "will be missed"

Mr Cummins said: "I had the pleasure of meeting Prince Phillip a number of times at various events and openings.

"I met him when he and the Queen visited my Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower of London in 2014.

"He was always very good at putting you at ease and seemed very down-to-earth.

"He asked me about the meaning of the poppies in the installation and we discussed this briefly.

"I grew up seeing him on TV screens and saw him almost like the grandfather of the nation so I was very taken aback when meeting him, but he was a very kind man. He will be missed."

The moving World War One tribute drew visitors from across the country

Other people from the East Midlands have described the impact Prince Philip had on their lives.

Geraldine Ellis, from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, said: "I first met him in the mid-1960s at Keyworth Leisure Centre when I got my bronze Duke of Edinburgh award.

"He asked what I was doing for the award and I was a bit embarrassed to say I was painting scenery.

"I was invited to Buckingham Palace reception for my gold award in 1971 and then to St James Palace for my daughter's gold award in 2002.

"He asked if any parents had an award and I put my hand up - to which he said 'Good - keep it in the family!'

"He was calm and dignified and genuinely interested in what people were doing."

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When visiting the National Space Centre in Leicester, Prince Philip talked to staff

The Queen and the prince visited Leicester's National Space Centre as part of the Golden Jubilee tour in 2002.

Chief executive Chas Bishop said: "When the Queen was talking quite solemnly to the mayors of Leicester and surrounding areas, he was talking to the security guards.

"He was chatting about crazy things, just really informal. They really loved it and their feet didn't touch the ground for a week afterwards."