The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip has passed away, Buckingham Palace confirmed Friday (April 9), leaving behind him a wealth of memories for Britons including many in south London.
We've compiled a list of some of his most memorable visits south of the river in recent years, which all left their mark on those who were there at the time.
Bromley and Downham Youth Club, 1971 and 2012
Back in 1971, Prince Philip caused a buzz when he opened the a new sport centre at the Bromley and Downham Youth Club in Valeswood Road.
Some 41 years later, in May 2012, Philip returned to the site to help reopen the club's latest addition in the form of an extension that houses a boxing gym, kitchen and art room.
Diamond Jubilee tour, Bromley, 2012
It was the late duke's second visit to Bromley that very month, with him and the Queen meeting residents who lined the streets of the borough during their Jubilee tour of the country.
Prince Philip joked with an elderly News Shopper reader on that occasion who had been given a foil a blanket to keep warm.
Barbara Dubery from Beckenham said the duke "made her day" when he joked that they might "put her in the oven next" in reference to her foil blanket.
Kingston Sailing Club, 2010
Two years before his Bromley visits, in 2010, Prince Philip paid members of the Kingston sailing club, of which he was a patron, a visit and was on similarly jovial form.
Patrick Rayner said: "It’s easy, even fashionable, to mock the royals including the Duke, but no one who was there could have failed to enjoy an event where his humour, enthusiasm for sailing, informality and charm left some wonderful memories."
Visiting wounded soldiers at Headley Court, 2013
Due south of Kingston in 2013, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh both paid a special visit to injured soldiers at the special medical facility at Headley Court in Leatherhead.
The Queen opened a new unit for soldiers suffering from brain injuries, while she and Prince Philip met staff and patients in a morale-boosting tour of the grounds.
Headley Court would later be repurposed during the advent of the coronavirus pandemic as a specialist outpatient facility.
Richmond Adult Community College, 2015
The duke's fun-loving side was perhaps best demonstrated two years later in Richmond, when he opened new art, drama and dance facilities at the Adult Community College there.
The Prince declared himself "the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler" as he unveiled a commemorative inscription with a theatrical flourish on the occasion, to the delight of attendees there.
Philip joked with everyone to "get back to work" after the unveiling, much to their amusement, and seems to have left a big impression on those present.
"He is really nice and very friendly," calligraphy student Madeleine Townsend remembered.
"He asked what we were doing before we started he was very interested in what we are studying."
Shelly Pollard, a beauty specialist tutor who was teaching hand massage during Prince Philip’s visit, added: "It was a bit nerve-racking but he is lovely and seemed very relaxed."
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