Jonathan Douglas-Hughes, the vice-lord lieutenant of Essex, has said he hurt nothing but his pride after suffering a slight fall while accompanying the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a visit to a school in Harlow.
Burdened by his ceremonial sword, or possibly the spurs on his polished boots, Douglas-Hughes, 72, appeared to stumble backwards over a concrete bollard outside Stewards Academy, where the royal couple were promoting a children’s mental health campaign.
Douglas-Hughes was helped to his feet by Prince William and others, who rushed to his aid. “I’m fine, thank you,” he said later. “The Duke was very concerned, but I reassured him I was perfectly all right.”
As vice-lord lieutenant, Douglas-Hughes deputises for the Queen’s personal representative in Essex, although the role is largely ceremonial. Female lord lieutenants do not wear uniform or weaponry.
