HIS Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was descended from the Danish and the Greek royal families and joined the Royal Navy.

He was recognised for bravery at the Battle of Matapan, which they won against the Italians. He might well have risen to the top of the highest rank, had he not met and married Princess Elizabeth, which was to lead to a lifetime of service to our country.

He first visited Northern Ireland in 1947 with the then Princess Elizabeth, and since then he returned 52 times on official visits and several private ones.

His last visit was with The Queen in 2012. During that visit, The Queen opened the South West Acute Hospital, and they both visited St. Macartin’s Cathedral and then, famously, crossed the street to enter St. Michael’s Church.

It was a highly successful and significant visit, coming a year after their historic State Visit to the Republic of Ireland.

The Duke of Edinburgh pioneered environmental conservation, years before it was fashionable to lobby for it, and was the founding President of the World Wildlife Fund some 60 years ago.

He also produced The Duke of Edinburgh Award to encourage healthy development of young people.

I spoke on Monday in the House of Lords debate, paying tribute to The Duke, and I now copy what I said, as follows.

"The Duke of Edinburgh, partly perhaps through his naval service, had a deep affinity and love for Northern Ireland and our people.

"A contributory factor may have been the pivotal role of the province during the Battle of the Atlantic – the convoys assembled off Londonderry and much of the air cover was provided in the Atlantic by Sunderlands and Catalinas from the most westerly RAF base, on Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh.

"The Bismark was discovered by an aircraft from there.

"Prince Philip was a people's person who did not stand on ceremony. He wished for a small funeral, and apparently the coffin may be carried in a Landrover from Sandringham designed personally by him – perhaps called his ‘gun bus’.

"This he drove with his Head Keeper beside him, and his guests most definitely in the back.

"On arrival at a given place, he would jump out and be off leading the way. His guests meanwhile would be scrambling out, grabbing their jackets etc, and then the inevitable, ‘Stop chattering and do get a move on’ would come from the disappearing Duke.

"Perhaps his greatest skill was as a communicator. I was involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the 1980s, and he met those young people taking part on every occasion that he could – indeed, many of them did training, walks and expeditions through Balmoral and Sandringham.

"In the more formal Gold Award ceremonies, he would firstly make some amusing remarks, and everyone would laugh and relax.

"I attended two large conferences chaired by Prince Philip, one for the award, and one for Outward Bound.

"His introduction was humorous and relaxed, and it was extraordinary how he created an atmosphere that encouraged young people to respond, give ideas, and even disagree with him. He relished such discussions.

"The international Award in the Republic of Ireland is known as The President's Award, or Gaisce.

"Prince Philip personally instigated closer interstate and cross-community links, by giving young people from different backgrounds in Northern Ireland the option of The Duke of Edinburgh Award, or The President's, Gaisce Award.

"There are faxes in the office in Belfast sent by him personally, when his private secretary was on leave, showing that this was his initiative, and he drove it to fruition.

"He was a pioneer in protecting the environment, practicing what he preached.

"The first biomass boiler I saw was on the Sandringham estate, and he insisted on building an early methane digester on the Windsor dairy farm – much to his horror, and later on, perhaps amusement, as the latter apparently blew up.

"Views vary on different renewables, and after bringing up wind turbines as a subject with him, I knew not to do so again, but smiled quietly when I saw others making the same mistake!

"We know of his many international achievements; however, I sometimes wonder if people realise the significance of inward State Visits, by foreign Heads of State, and the part played by The Queen and, until now, by Prince Philip.

"These visits are at the highest level of diplomacy, and are also the most sought-after by other nations.

"Visitors stay as personal guests of The Queen at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle.

"During my time at the palace, visits have included Presidents Putin, Obama and Trump, The Emperor of Japan, and many others.

"During these visits, an immense amount of bilateral business is done, between the countries, away from the Principles [guests], but it has been the personal hosting by Her Majesty and Prince Philip in their own homes that has ensured success.

"The success of a visit is judged by the TV coverage going out to the visitors's nation, and the happiness of the visitor and their immediate suite.

"This is what is ensured by the attention of The Queen and Prince Philip, regardless of any personal opinions of any individual.

"Perhaps the greatest compliments are from the many young people in this country who have been quoted as saying: 'Had it not been for the Duke of Edinburgh, I might have been in prison, or in a drug addiction centre' – quite an accolade for an individual man.

"We in Northern Ireland join the nation and, indeed, the world in sending our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, and all the members of the Royal Family.

"We are very thankful for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh’s life of commitment, service and generosity to our nation."