Prince Philip
IT was very sad to hear that HRH, The Duke of Edinburgh, had died. I had hoped he would celebrate his 100th birthday.
I shook hands with him on two occasions. Firstly, when he presented me with the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. I was the first person from Stockton-on-Tees to gain the Gold Award.
The second occasion was at the 2014 annual general meeting of the Royal Institute of Navigation in London. His Royal Highness was a fellow of the institute and also its patron.
He personally awarded me fellowship of the institute for services to marine navigation and education.