The late King Harald of Norway held a little-known connection with a Merseyside club, serving as an honorary member and Admiral of the Fleet at the Royal Mersey Yacht Club (RMYC) in Rock Ferry. The King, who died last Friday, was granted the honorary position in 2010, recognising his achievements in sailing.
A historic club with royal ties
The RMYC, founded in 1844, received Royal status from Queen Victoria less than a year after its formation. The club played a significant role in early yacht racing during the mid-19th century, organising some of the earliest Olympic sailing events with the Liverpool Olympic Festivals of 1862-1867. Today, it hosts regular yacht races across the River Mersey and runs an active social programme including dinners and balls.
The club's current rear-commodore, Ian Diamond, 67, explained how the King's association came about. He told the ECHO: "The decision to make King Harald a patron comes back to him being a well-established sailor in his own right, sailed for Norway in the Olympics. He was very close to the Duke of Edinburgh [then Prince Philip], who was our patron at the time. So there was a lot of respect for him, and the club has always given honorary positions to people who have achieved a lot in the sailing area."
Honorary role and lasting correspondence
The club had granted the title of Admiral of the Fleet to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1952, and members decided to offer the same honour to King Harald, which he accepted. Over the years, the King kept in regular correspondence with club members, exchanging letters. He attended a special ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall in May 2010 to celebrate his honorary membership.
Ian recalled the night fondly, saying: "One of my memories is when he came over and we had the celebration in the town Liverpool Town Hall. He spent a lot of time with Carys [the current commodore of the RMYC] and myself, at least 40 minutes just chatting to us. He was really interested in what the club was doing. I can remember him actually saying, 'come on, hurry up, you've fallen behind your program.' He had a lot of time for the club."
A personal touch and lasting legacy
Ian highlighted a particularly kind act from the King, noting: "When Carys stepped up as Commodore, he sent back a very nice letter to Carys, which was personal. It wasn't just a secretary writing it for him; it was personally signed by him. That's just the sort of person he was. He had a lot of time for the club, and he really did keep track of what the club was doing."
Following the King's death, Ian said his presence will be missed throughout the club. He added: "For me, and I think for other people in the club, he was an inspiration. I think he has inspired the club to go further in our activities. That's part of his legacy. We're sad to have lost those connections with the Royal Family in Norway. Hopefully we might reconnect in the future."
