Visit of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

Written by Godfrey Dykes

© RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

  In July 1981, just after his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer, HRH The Prince of Wales, visited HMS Mercury. His visit, arriving in a helicopter of the Queens Flight, which he himself piloted, was to have been private. However, much to everyone's SHEER delight, he sat the helicopter down on the broadwalk adjacent to the wardroom's rose garden, and guess what? Yes, he had brought Diana with him. Mercury was on a great high anyway, but to bring his future wife really was 'icing on the top of the cake'.

  Although the day went well and was a qualified success, one thing puzzled me, and does to this very day, over twenty two years later . It had long been tradition in the Royal Navy, that when a senior officer or a VIP visited the ship/establishment, the Captain would trawl the ships company to find out if any of its members had previously served with the visitor. Those that had, would be re-introduced either in a group, or individually when being inspected or during a walk-round at their place of work/duty. On this occasion, for some inexplicable reason it didn't happen, this, despite that Mercury had several officers and men who had served with the Prince. I was one of them, having been with HRH in a classroom, at sea in HMS Jupiter and at Lord Mountbatten's funeral.

  The Prince and Lady Di, as she was affectionately known in the early days, had several functions to attend that day, and one of them was a visit to the Warrant Officers Mess to meet an invited audience of senior ratings and their wives. Beryl and I attended that event which was conducted in a large square room in which the Prince walked clockwise and Lady Di anticlockwise, talking with members of the mess as they passed. The Mess President was Leslie Murrell MBE and he was the host attending upon the Prince introducing personnel and answering the Prince's questions. Leslie had had the honour of being in charge of the coffin bearers at Lord Mountbatten's funeral when laying him to rest in his grave within Romsey Abbey, at a ceremony attended by the whole of the Royal family. The events of those years were still very tender for us all, and in particular, for the Prince who had lost a great uncle. I think that Leslie too, had been a little upset about the breaking of tradition on ex-ship introductions, and as the Prince came nearer to my position, Leslie leaned over to the Prince and forewarned him of my presence. In great anticipation I awaited his presence, and whilst still a few walking paces away, the Prince uttered in a raised voice "Mr Dykes, how nice to see you again." Whilst I was concentrating on the Prince and his questions about my service career and my on coming retirement, I was very conscious that Leslie was happy now [as I was] that we had, after all, got to meet HRH personally: the Prince knew that, we knew that, and all around, including the officers who had broke with tradition, knew that. HRH chatted to me and to Beryl for some time and remembered me well [how could he not?] from our previous service together. I was extremely proud and very grateful to Leslie who had 'engineered' the meet! Lady Di, coming her way around, also spoke with us for some minutes. On returning home that day, Beryl wrote down the conversations to record for posterity.

Here is the visit programme.

Visit of HRH The Prince of Wales