Weyburn resident Dale Huff had a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience in meeting Prince Edward during his visit to Moose Jaw on Wednesday, as he and his wife Sandi came away deeply impressed by his royal encounter.
Weyburn resident Dale Huff had a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience in meeting Prince Edward during his visit to Moose Jaw on Wednesday, as he and his wife Sandi came away deeply impressed by his royal encounter.
His Royal Highness, the Earl of Wessex, is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Saskatchewan Dragoons, and as a former serving member of the Dragoons, Dale and his wife were invited to a regimental barbecue held for the prince at the L/Col. D.V. Currie VC Armoury in Moose Jaw.
Dale noted there were about 200 invited guests inside the Armoury for the event, and many members of the public waited outside for the chance to meet or see the Queen's youngest son.
He and Sandi had begun to eat when suddenly Prince Edward came in, and came straight over to where the Huffs were to meet with them and talk to them.
"He came right over to us, it was his first stop when he came into the Armoury. I was totally in shock," said Dale. "I had practised how I was supposed to greet him, but "
He chuckled as he indicated his mind went blank, and he had no idea what to say next.
Wanting to keep everything casual, the prince asked about his time with the regiment, which Dale told him about, including that he left active service with the Dragoons around 1959.
"He asked me, 'Why did you do that?' I told him it was because my company had transferred me. What he really wanted was to be casual. I introduced him to my wife Sandi, and I wasn't really supposed to do that, but he joked with us and said to her, 'You weren't around in 1959, were you?'"
Dale said there was a lot of security detail with the prince, including both the RCMP and military police, and he had to show his invitation and ID before he was admitted into the Armoury.
What surprised him was that Prince Edward came in a side door rather than the main front door where the cadets were lined up for him.
"I was impressed and so was Sandi; he's such a friendly guy, you just wouldn't expect it," said Dale. "He met as many people as he could. He made jokes, and he was very approachable."
Unlike when he usually meets a military group, there was no march past or royal salute, as it was all very casual.
"It was thoroughly enjoyable. He was very, very impressive," said Dale.
"Sandi pointed out right away, he's got her mother's eyes," Dale added, after they had met him and the prince had moved on.
"He put us at ease right away," said Dale. "We were so happy that we went. We didn't expect anything like this."
