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10
Apr 2021
Column: A marriage that provided constancy through our challenges and joys
This column is written for the Stray Ferret by the Bishop of Ripon The Rt. Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, who reflects on the life of Prince Philip, his service to the nation and her experience of taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme:
When I heard the news of the death of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh my mind was immediately taken back to my schooldays, and to the overnight expedition I took part in as part of my bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
I am sure I am not alone in having such a memory. These were definitely pre-internet days: myself and two friends had a map, a compass, and a carefully planned-out route.
We tramped through fields and forests, and set up our tent for the night in a field behind a pub somewhere in County Durham.
Thankfully it didn’t rain! Corned beef hash was on the menu for dinner, and funnily enough I don’t think I’ve tried it since, which probably says less about my cooking skills aged 16 and more about developing food tastes as an adult!
Countless numbers of young people were pushed, challenged and in some cases saved by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.
I read an article online following the Duke’s death, in which two men very much attributed the Award to setting them on the right path in life. Maybe you have your own stories of taking part in expeditions, volunteering, learning a new skill?
HRH Prince Philip will perhaps best be remembered for his unwavering support of Her Majesty the Queen. Married for 73 years (that’s amazing in itself), their lives witnessed so many ups and downs in global life: their constancy something of a foundational soundtrack to our own nation’s challenges and joys.
To live a life so much in the public eye, and at the same time to forge an identity filled with commitment to so many good causes: it’s hard to sum it up or do it justice in just a few paragraphs.
Read more:
HRH Prince Philip’s interest in the environment, sport, the armed forces (let’s not forget his own naval career), in agriculture and farming, to name but a few topics he was devoted to were in many ways commitments that underpinned so much of the uniqueness of our United Kingdom.
He will be remembered most of all however for a life lived in service and support of our Queen, our country, and the Commonwealth family of nations. We salute and give thanks for him, and our love and prayers are with Her Majesty and all the Royal Family.
- An online book of condolences opened by the Church of England can be accessed via riponcathedral.org.uk
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