The people of Anguilla have always been regarded as loyal subjects of the British Monarchy. It is no wonder that, in 1967, they rallied to revert to colonial rule under Britain, the Mother Country, rather than under the then tyrannical St. Kitts Government, as part of an Associated State, with full internal rule vested in that Government.
When the British Frigate, HMS Salisbury, dropped anchor in Island Harbour Bay, at the behest of the Central Government in St. Kitts, on February 15, 1967, ostensibly to put down the Anguilla Revolution, and to lock up its leaders, the Marines Soldiers, accompanied by a contingent of St. Kitts Policemen, were met by children and adults singing God Save The Queen. That told a story of loyalty to, and affection for, the Crown.
During Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 69-year reign, so far, there have been a series of Royal Visits to Anguilla – though the island is small and remote – as part of a tour of the Caribbean. Members of the Royal Family visited Anguilla in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000 and 2012 – the last being the Queen’s Jubilee Year.
Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9, 2021, visited Anguilla three times: twice by himself, and once with The Queen. His first visit was on November 17, 1964, a few years before the island’s Revolution. It was more or less the beginning of a series of Royal Visits to Anguilla – over the next four decades – that helped to endear Anguillians to the British Throne.
Prince Philip was welcomed to Anguilla at the then Burrowes Park (now Ronald Webster Park) by Scout Leader and Customs Officer, Mr. Menes Hodge (currently a retired Anglican Priest). Earlier that day in 1964, Menes had married his wife, the late Mrs. Britannia Hodge, at the Bethel Methodist Church. It was for him a momentous occasion – bolstered by the fact that Prince Philip had arrived in Anguilla on the Royal Yacht, Britannia!
Prince Philip’s second visit to Anguilla was in February 1993 when he extensively toured the island. That time, Menes Hodge was the Principal Assistant Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office. He met the Duke on the Royal Yacht Britannia at Road Bay. He took the opportunity to introduce himself as having been the person who had welcomed him to Anguilla in 1964 – just hours after marrying his wife, Britannia.
Obviously taken aback by her name and its British Naval symbolism, the Prince, known for his quip manner of speaking, asked Menes: “And, are you still married to the same woman?”
“Oh, certainly yes,” came his spontaneous reply.
Prince Philip’s third visit to Anguilla was on February 18 and 19, 1994, when he accompanied his wife, Queen Elizabeth The Second, to the island. That time, the Royal Couple arrived at Wallblake Airport aboard a BAE 146 of the Queen’s Flight.
For Prince Philip, he had become somewhat of a veteran or a repeat visitor to the island. His name had also become a household word in Anguilla through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme under which a number of young Anguillians, involved in sport and other social engagements, had been awarded for their service.
The visit by the Queen and Prince Philip was followed by visits by two of their sons. The first was Prince Andrew, Duke of York, from March 14 – 15; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and his wife, Princess Sophie, Countess of Wessex, on March 5, 2012.
The one-day visit by Prince Edward and Princess Sophie was part of a series of Royal Visits by other members of the family to various parts of the Commonwealth, Realms and Territories. They represented the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee celebration.
It is to be noted that by the time Prince Philip had paid his second visit to Anguilla in 1993, three other Royals had visited the island before. The first was Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, on March 2, 1960. She was followed by Prince Charles in 1973, while serving as a Marine Soldier on HMS Minerva.
The other Royal Visit to Anguilla was in November 1988 by Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, and her husband, James Ogilvy. On November 8 she unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit and the opening of the then new Terminal Building at Wallblake Airport. The following day, November 9, she also unveiled a plaque, naming the Princess Alexandra Hospital after herself.
Although many years have elapsed since Prince Philip visited Anguilla, he is well remembered by a number of grown-ups who were schoolchildren who had enthusiastically welcomed him to the island, waving British flags.
Since his passing, a number of photographs, videos and stories have emerged in Anguilla in fond memory of his visits and as tokens of farewell to Prince Philip who passed away at the age of 99 on Friday, April 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle.
On Saturday, April 10, the Governor’s Office in Anguilla held a brief farewell ceremony for Prince Philip when a 21-gun salute was fired in his honour by the Royal Anguilla Police Force at the back courtyard of the former Governor’s Residence at Old Ta. Since then, flags have been flown at half-staff on the island.
