A World War II veteran, who has spent the last 26 years delivering newspapers, has taken a dig at the Duke of Edinburgh, claiming that the Prince – who recently announced his decision to step down from royal duties – will not be able to manage his paper route when he retires.
90-year-old Bill Ogden is the self-proclaimed “world’s oldest paperboy.” Every morning, he delivers 50 newspapers to his neighbours in Upavon and Enford in Pewsey, Wiltshire, all before 7 am, and he has no intention of stopping.
“I would like to think I am the world’s oldest paperboy,” Mr Ogden said. “I don’t look at it like a job; it’s just something that I enjoy doing. Every so often someone will ask me whether I’m going to stop, but what would I do if I stopped?”
Mr Ogden joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 14 and served in the Second World War before working as a serjeant for many decades. He took up the paper route in his mid-60s, as he felt he could do with another job later on in life after retiring from the Army.
Prince Philip too joined the Royal Navy in his youth and met the future Queen Elizabeth when she visited the Royal Naval College with her family. He took part in active service during the war and returned to the Navy in the years that followed, until the end of his naval career in 1951.
In 1952, Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth embarked on a tour of the Commonwealth on behalf of King George VI. During this trip, they learned that the King had passed away, and Elizabeth was the new Queen. For Prince Philip, this was the beginning of a lifetime of service to Queen and country.
The Duke of Edinburgh has steadfastly remained by The Queen’s side for nearly 70 years. In 2016 alone, he carried out a total of 219 engagements. He is associated with over 780 organisations and charities, but will no longer pay official visits to them. When he retires in the autumn, he will be 96-years-old.
Prince Philip’s decision to retire has the full support of Her Majesty, although she will continue to carry out engagements herself.
Well, the old guy has a point. Philip has been a bit of a slacker. Imagine retiring at his age. Lazy