Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: 1921-2021

`The Duke of Edinburgh at Canterbury shaking hands with D.V.P. Wright. Lord Cornwallis and Lord Harris are facing the camera. (Photograph by courtesy of Kent Messenger)’

As a mark of respect, all nine LV= Insurance County Championship matches will pause between 14:50 – 16:10 on Saturday 17th April (Day Three), to coincide with the funeral of HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Prince Philip’s first charity commitment was the National Playing Fields Association and he was its President for 64 years from 1948. The charity is now called Fields in Trust.

The charity went into partnership with the MCC (of which he was also President) in 1949 and from the Committee minutes of the time, it seems that The Duke of Edinburgh came to the Kent versus Hampshire game at the 98th Canterbury Cricket Week to acknowledge the Club’s efforts in raising funds for the Association. He met the two teams at Tea on the second day of the match on 1st August 1949.

It is briefly reported in both the minutes and Kent Annual of that year that The Duke of Edinburgh graciously accepted the offer of Honorary Life Membership made during the visit. It appears that Kent is the only one of the first-class counties to have received this honour, which endured for almost half of the Club’s 151 year history.

In the game itself, Kent won by an innings and 28 runs in two days, with Leslie Todd scoring 129 runs in the Kent first innings and Doug Wright taking 11 wickets in the game.

The Club has written to Her Majesty The Queen to offer its sincere condolences.