Prince Philip today died at the age of 99, after serving as husband to Queen Elizabeth II for most of his life. It’s fair to say that he was a key figure of the royal family and will be missed by the British people. Born on the Greek island of Corfu, he would later marry into one of the most famous families of all time. During his time, he would often visit places around the country and see and experience new things. It turns out, that he was also a fan of grappling and went to visit a wrestling show on 22nd of May, 1963.
This event took place in the Albert Hall in London and was dubbed ‘A Royal Event’ with his name on the flyer. Here, he was photographed meeting the top wrestlers of the time who seemed pleased to meet him. As it happens, there was one young wrestler on the card whose name you may recognize. This was Billy Robinson, who was known for spreading his knowledge of catch wrestling around the globe. Robinson was coach to the likes of Sakuraba and Josh Barnett, proving that his fighting style was highly effective.
Looking back, it’s quite strange to imagine a royal family member sitting down and watching pins and submission holds…as catch wrestling is considered quite gruesome. Nonetheless, this would have certainly been one of the Prince’s more entertaining visits whilst on royal duty. Sadly, since then – the art of wrestling has died out in the UK and is now mostly associated with the USA.
