Prince Philip had 'great affection' for Royal Navy

Prince Philip opened the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton in May 1964

The director of a naval museum supported by the Duke of Edinburgh for decades has said it will miss his "unwavering interest, kindness, charm and bracing humour".

The National Museum of the Royal Navy's Director-General, Dominic Tweddle, said the duke was a "staunch supporter".

The duke himself served in the Royal Navy from 1939 until 1952.

Prof Tweddle said Prince Philip retained a "great affection" for the institution throughout his life.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy operates across a number of sites, including the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, with others in Belfast, Portsmouth and Hartlepool.

Prince Philip paid regular visits to the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Ilchester, which he was patron of between 1964 and 1990

The duke laid the foundation stone for the Fleet Air Arm Museum and then later opened it in May 1964.

He served as its patron from May 1964 until 1990, when that role was assumed by the Duke of York, and last visited the museum, in Ilchester, in 2014.

Prof Tweddle said the duke's visits showed he was "very easy with people".

"That probably comes from his time with the navy. You are trained to be at ease with people in the navy," he said.

"His relationship with us was very important for us. Royal patronage opens doors that you can't otherwise open. Royalty still has a magic and mystique."

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