His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Lord Burnett Excerpts

Monday 12th April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Burnett (LD) [V]]

My Lords, in his compelling speech, the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Boyce, referred to the fact that His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh was enormously proud of his role as Captain General of the Royal Marines. As someone who has had the honour of serving in the Royal Marines, I shall speak to this role and to the great contribution he made to our corps over many years.

We as a corps were immensely privileged and fortunate that, from June 1953 to December 2017—nearly 65 years —he was our Captain General. He completely understood the corps and its specialist warfare branches. He understood the commando spirit and the egalitarian nature of the corps. With his extensive operational experience in World War II, he understood that the highest standards are essential for fighting troops.

Royal Marines have been deployed on operations almost continuously through his service as Captain General. He took a keen interest in their deployment and in their training. He was a source of wise advice and encouragement to the many Marines that he met. He was at ease when he was with us and he put everyone else at ease. He had a wonderful sense of humour, which is an essential quality for a Royal Marine. He was a straight talker and he led by example with an indomitable spirit. His great qualities were hugely appreciated by all Royal Marines, including the many who are badged into the United Kingdom Special Forces. It is no accident that his last official engagement in 2017 was with our great corps, including our superb Royal Marines Band Service, in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. It rained the whole time. He was 96 years old; he enjoyed the occasion and spoke to many serving Royal Marines, retired Marines and cadets. He understood and appreciated the strength of the Royal Marines family—once a Royal Marine, always a Royal Marine. That goes too for their spouses, partners, children, parents and many more.

All the members of our corps wish to send our deepest sympathies to Her Majesty the Queen. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to her late husband who was revered and respected and who was and will continue to be held in profound and lasting affection.