When Prince Philip came to Salisbury to accept Freedom of the City

The occasion was the granting to Salisbury’s county regiment – the 1st Battalion the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regiment – of Freedom of the City, which began with a formal civic ceremony outside the regiment’s museum at The Wardrobe, in the Cathedral Close.

The then 83-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, dressed in his uniform as colonel-in-chief of the regiment, was met at The Wardrobe by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Lieutenant General Sir Maurice Johnston, and was presented to regimental and local dignitaries and their wives, including colonel of the regiment General Kevin O’Donoghue, High Sheriff of Wiltshire Lieutenant Colonel James Arkell, Mayor of Salisbury Jeremy Nettle, chairman of Wiltshire county council Allan Peach, chairman of Salisbury district council Patrick Paisey and Salisbury MP Robert Key.

Dean of Salisbury the Very Reverend June Osborne was also presented to the duke, as was Wiltshire’s new chief constable, Martin Richards.

Prince Philip and Jeremy Nettle, October 2004

Soldiers, resplendent in dress uniform and with swords drawn, bayonets fixed and colours flying, brought pomp and pageantry to the rain-splashed streets of Salisbury on Saturday.

Traffic came to a standstill and shopping stopped for a while, as thousands of people stood in the rain to watch the parade pass by and to catch a glimpse of the soldiers’ colonel-in-chief, the Duke of Edinburgh, as he arrived by chauffeur driven limousine for a reception at the city’s historic Guildhall.

The duke left the museum and strolled to Choristers’ Green to take the royal salute, it began to drizzle and, by the time he escorted the mayor on a formal inspection of the regiment’s soldiers and a contingent of Salisbury and other Wiltshire Army Cadets, the rain had become even heavier.

Parade through the High Street

Then, referring to the various regimental amalgamations over the years, he said: “I would like to think we shall now be allowed to settle down a bit.

“But I suspect we have not seen the end of changes in the army, as it is asked to meet the challenges of modern times.”

Old comrades of the regiments and a combined guard of the Rifle Volunteers, the Territorial Army unit attached to 1 RGBW, were also at the ceremony and later joined the parade through the city centre.

As the duke arrived for the civic reception rounding off the event, he received a spontaneous burst of applause from the big crowd and waved back to them as he walked up a red carpet into the Guildhall.

'He was on top form'

Prince Philip and Cllr Jeremy Nettle

Cllr Nettle, who was mayor at the time, has recalled his memories of the day, and said meeting Prince Philip was "a privilege".

He said: "His Royal Highness was on top form, and even offered me the opportunity to inspect his troops. Normally the Mayor would follow but true to form he wanted to break with protocol and asked me to lead.

"During the time we were on parade, and during the speeches, he made everyone feel important, and he had a natural gift of making everyone feel at ease within seconds of talking to you."

The parade, in cold temperatures and in pouring rain, took more than two-and-a-half hours, as the Freedom of the City ceremony took place, troops were inspected, a salute was attended and a reception was held, before meeting local residents.

Cllr Nettle added: "He was passionate about duty and ensuring others understood their roles too.

"Sir, thank you for the many years of service you have given to this County, the United Kingdom and across the globe. RIP."

Left to right: Prince Philip, Robert Key, and Jeremy Nettle, October 2004

Mr Key said the city was "very proud" of Prince Philip.

He said: "It was pouring with rain. Really, really heavy.

"He saw the soldiers were getting soaking wet, and was prepared to get wet himself.

"It was an important moment, and Salisbury was so proud of him."

Get more Salisbury news and nominate your local heroes for the South Wiltshire Hero Awards.

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.