By Danielle Kutchel
As the world mourns the passing of Prince Philip on Friday 9 April, Star News Group photographer Rob Carew has reflected on the times he got up close to the outspoken royal.
Early in the 1990s, Mr Carew photographed the Duke of Edinburgh at Melbourne Zoo at a World Wide Fund for Nature event.
He remembered the Prince as “really grant”, with “a quiet elegance about him”.
The stunning black and white photo shows the Prince in a contemplative pose.
Mr Carew can’t remember exactly what had happened in the lead up to the candid shot, but said the visit was “very informal”, allowing him to get in close for photos.
“We were just walking around, there were no real restrictions,” Mr Carew said.
The veteran photographer photographed the Duke a number of times on his more than 20 visits to our country.
“I met him, and the Queen,” Mr Carew said.
“It was amazing. It was like we’d met 1000 times before, it was so familiar.
“I was a bit nervous, but you look at his face and you’ve known this person your whole life – it’s a really strange feeling.”
While he didn’t get to indulge in any of the Prince’s famed humour, he said he was “very nice”.
Mr Carew later photographed the Duke on Collins Street in Melbourne.
“It was a low-key visit; I was the only photographer there,” he recalled.
“I waited for him, he came out of the car, stopped, posed for photos and then went in.
“It was very generous of him. I was the only one there so he could’ve walked on but he stopped and posed!”
Mr Carew said he believes the passing of the Prince will become one of those moments where everybody remembers where they were when they heard the news.
