We recently had the privilege of briefing HRH The Princess Royal today. Such an engaging person, knowledgeable, interested and definitely had read our bios intently!! I particularly enjoyed introducing her to some of the team, when she asked how long one of the sailors had been here (meaning the Island) and he replied “Oh since about ten past four Ma’am”…….

“I’m sorry?”

“Yeah about ten past four Ma’am, we came on a bus…”

She looked at the CO with that ’wtf is this guy on’ expression that was truly priceless. poor guy has been getting rinsed for hours! I get the impression this will haunt him for the remainder of his career!

After fielding questions about his faux pas from as far a field as Pompey, Gibraltar and Bahrain to name a few, I heard another pearler in the bar from when he had to arrange weapon cleaning and was told to call “the QM’s” to get the armoury opened.

Consulting the phone directory, he dialled THE QM, and ‘directed’ that the armoury be opened so he could ‘get the gats smashed please big lad’….. not realising that THE QM is actually a Major and the second in command of the Unit.

I wish I had been a fly on the wall. I look forward to the rest of this guy’s tour with equal degrees of hope and trepidation……