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Former Territorial Army soldier Tony recalls the day he made the Duke of Edinburgh laugh




A Grantham man has recalled the day he met His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, while serving in the Territorial Army.

Tony Charles was at a camp in Thetford with the The Leicestershire and Derbyshire (Prince Albert's Own) Yeomanry in October 1975. It was there that members of the Yeomanry were presented with a new cap badge by the Duke as it was being amalgamated with other regiments.

Tony, now 77, was presented with his badge while standing in front of a lorry which he was given to drive as he held a HGV licence. Tony spoke about the day with the Journal following the Duke's death at the age of 99 on Friday.

Tony Charles, right, is presented to the Duke of Edinburgh. (46134071)
Tony Charles, right, is presented to the Duke of Edinburgh. (46134071)

Tony told the Duke that he came from Melton Mowbray where he was born and bred. He also told the Duke that he worked at Pedigree Petfoods.

Tony said: "He then said 'Do you all work at Pedigree Petfoods?'. I said a lot of us did in the Leicestershire regiment and it was a big factory. He laughed at that.

"Then he asked me what did we make. I said Pal and Whiskers and he said 'Ah Pal. The corgis love that!'"

Tony said the Duke was keen to get involved and took a keen interest in what was happening on the day.

Tony Charles with a photo of his meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1975. (46143756)
Tony Charles with a photo of his meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1975. (46143756)

Previously Tony, a qualified First Aider with the St John Ambulance, had been in the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Tony, his wife Barbara and their two sons moved to Grantham in 1982 after Tony took redundancy from Petfoods. He became a lay preacher at the Methodist Church and was a lollipop man at the Isaac Newton School.

Barbara died in 2012 and Tony moved into sheltered accommodation at Spire View.

The Duke of Edinburgh laughs while talking to Tony Charles, right. (46134077)
The Duke of Edinburgh laughs while talking to Tony Charles, right. (46134077)


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