Unearthed photos of Prince Philip go on sale in Lymington

The album was compiled by a member of the Royal Yacht Britannia crew who joined the late prince on his solo round-the-world cruise in 1959, which featured in an episode of The Crown.

The 74 pictures show the former Duke of Edinburgh visiting various far-flung places, including some of the remotest islands on earth.

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The album is on sale for £1,250 by antique dealer Charles Wallrock of Wick Antiques in Lymington, which describes itself as one of the country’s leading maritime dealers.

Charles said: “Flicking through this album is a remarkable journey back in time, and the contrast between the Duke in his white uniform and the often grass-skirted South Pacific Islanders is clear.

“But so are the smiles on the faces of everyone as the different cultures meet in locations right around the world."

The four-month tour started in Portsmouth and went through the Mediterranean, down the Suez Canal, to ‘Rangoon’, Singapore, Hong Kong, and then through a number of South Pacific islands and back via the Panama Canal.

Charles added: "This album provides a wonderful insight into his life on the voyage and into that of the crew, many of whom gave up chances of promotion to stay with Britannia.

“Collectors of Royal memorabilia will be interested in this, as well as more general collectors.”

Photographs show the Duke, who served in the Royal Navy during World War II, being taken for a trip on an ‘almost extinct’ sailing boat in the Solomon Islands, and at the tiller of a native racing canoe off the island of Tarawa.

He is shown being carried aloft in a boat by dozens of natives on the island of Vaitupu before a feast of roast sucking pig and breadfruit.

The Prince is pictured approaching Gizo in the Solomon Islands in a war canoe before the party is entertained by a re-enactment of natives killing a missionary.

Pictures also include those from Tench Island where the party stopped on the request of the Duke who wanted a picnic. They thought it was deserted but met with the 53 natives.

Charles said: "There are two photographers listed as crew – both ‘Leading Airmen’, A Masters and T Roberts – and the album is likely to have been put together by one of them.

“It is neatly captioned and includes a map of the voyage that went right around the world."

He went on to say: “What is also clear is the interest the Duke has in the boats used by the islanders, and he is pictured in various craft.

“His interest would have been professional because he was a naval officer – and an extremely good one – and served in the Mediterranean and Pacific fleets in World War Two. Royal duties forced him to retire from the senior service in 1952."

Britannia was launched in Clydebank, Scotland, in 1953 and was retired in 1997, having travelled more than a million miles, providing a suitable floating residence for the Royal family.

She was a symbol of the Commonwealth and helped generate billions of pounds in trade deals.

Prince Philip married Princess Elizabeth in 1947 and died in 2021 aged 99. He was worshipped as a god by those on the remote South Pacific Island of Tanna.

The book can be viewed on the Wicks Antiques website.