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"To have our father so warmly remembered by the King means a lot"

Thursday 18 July 2024

"To have our father so warmly remembered by the King means a lot"

Thursday 18 July 2024


When the King touched down in Guernsey earlier this week, one of the many meetings he had booked in was a chat with two women with whom he shares a personal connection.

Tricia Voute and Carina Howitt are the daughters of the late-Captain Peter Voute.

He taught the King how to fly helicopters during his naval career.

This was during the 1970s when both men were based at RAF Yeovil in Somerset. Captain Voute was later asked to be an usher at the then-Prince of Wales' wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

When Captain Voute died earlier this year, His Majesty was among the many people who shared their condolences with his family.

Peter Voute

Pictured: When Captain Peter Voute died earlier this year many tributes were paid to him, including one reflecting his role as the first Knight Commander of St John Guernsey.

Captain Voute's military service extended far beyond teaching King Charles III how to fly with a distinguished career stretching over many years before turning his attention to environmental and community endeavours.

The Old Elizabethan's numerous naval accolades included Fleet Air Arm duties and posts, diplomatic assignments including as Naval Attaché in Madrid, and operational service in various areas of confrontation.

One of his roles was as Captain of HMS Ariadne during the 1980s before he retired from the navy in 1992.

He then took up posts including Director of the British Field Sports Society and Executive Director of the Countryside Alliance.

Locally he was the first Knight Commander of St John Guernsey.

Born in Guernsey in 1938, Captain Voute was married to Marta (nee Blad) who pre-deceased him, and they had two daughters - Carina and Tricia, as well as grandchildren, nieces and nephews. 

Both Carina and Tricia, and their cousin Nicolette Gaudion, were at the Tea Party held on the Crown Pier during the King's first visit to Guernsey as Monarch earlier this week. 

Ms Voute and Ms Howitt had been invited to attend the Tea Party so they could be introduced to the King.

Both women said their father had remembered the King as keenly as His Majesty remembered him.

"It was a long time ago, a very long time ago, and he always spoke very kindly of the King, effusively about the good times they had and what a good pilot he said the King was and things," said Carina.

"Recently our father passed away and we heard from the King thanks to our cousin who got in touch with him and we've just been amazed that we were invited today to meet him.

"It's been amazing."

"Our father was invited to be an usher at his wedding with Princess Diana at the time so they stayed in contact," added Tricia.

"He immediately came over when he heard the name to talk to us and to reminisce."

King Queen Alderney Les Cotils

Pictured: King Charles at Les Cotils on Tuesday.

Both Carina and Tricia said it was clear their father and the King shared some personal memories that His Majesty remembered while chatting to them both.

"I'm sure he did that," said Carina, "there was just a warmth that he remembers and we knew our father remembered those warm times.

"So we're just sort of observers on that from the outside and we're privileged enough to... over our childhood we heard a lot about him, and now we've met him."

Having only recently lost their father, who died in February, Tricia said their brief meeting with the King was a very special occasion for them both.

"We never expected to be invited and then when we were, both of us said 'this is almost like a gift from our father' and we need to attend so we both made the effort and we've flown in from the mainland.

"It's been It's like a gift, and to have our father so warmly remembered by the King means a lot.

"He's an incredibly kind man, my father always said that."

"(He was) very easy to talk to," added Carina. "And the Queen. She too is very easy to talk to and very quickly finds something to talk about."

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