"To have His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales present my dolphins is an absolute privilege and an experience I will remember for the rest of my life," said Drew, a 19-year-old who had just completed a ten-week training programme, after Prince William presented him with a Gold Submariner's Dolphin at HM Naval Base Clyde on Tuesday.
William travelled to the Faslane installation to mark 125 years of the Royal Navy Submarine Service and to meet the crews who operate from the base naval hub that serves as the operational headquarters for Britain’s submarine fleet. He visited one of the Vanguard-class submarines — part of the four-vessel Trident nuclear deterrent — and formally presented dolphins to newly qualified submariners before moving on to other engagements at the site.
The gesture carried weight for a service with deep and sometimes paradoxical roots. The Royal Navy Submarine Service traces its origins to 1901, when Holland 1 entered service under the first Inspecting Captain of Submarines, Captain Reginald Bacon, commanding an initial cohort of six officers. By 1914 the Silent Service had grown to 168 officers and 1,250 ratings and went on to earn five Victoria Crosses in the First World War and 14 Victoria Crosses across its history.
Rear Admiral Andy Perks MBE, who welcomed William at the base, put the visit in personal terms: "The Prince of Wales spent time with our people, recognising the skill, dedication and teamwork that define the Submarine Service." William, who is known in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay and serves as Commodore-in-Chief of the Submarine Service, was greeted by senior officers including Commodore Ben Haskins CBE and Naval Base Commander Clyde Commodore Sharon Malkin CBE ADC.
Commodore Haskins described the visit as a morale moment: "His Royal Highness' support to our superb submariners and enthusiasm for the Service are humbling." For the sailors receiving their dolphins, the ceremony was both a professional milestone and a family moment. Drew added, "My dad and brother, who are both in the Royal Air Force, are jealous that I was presented with my dolphins by the future King. My mum is jealous too, but also very proud." After the naval base tour, William visited Drumfork Community Centre in Helensburgh and met families who support those serving beneath the waves.
William’s tour was notable for the range of personnel he sought out. He spent time with female submariners to understand the experiences and welfare of women serving in the armed forces, and he engaged with LGBTQ+ members of the service. Those meetings underscored how the Submarine Service has changed since its early years, when it was often derided as underhand, unfair and damned un‑English — a judgment that sat uneasily beside the service’s later military record and honours.
That contrast — between early suspicion and later recognition — remains the story’s friction. The Submarine Service evolved from an experimental arm of the fleet into an essential component of Britain’s naval posture, yet the social and cultural adjustments required to integrate women and LGBTQ+ personnel into close‑quarters submarine life continue to demand attention from commanders and policymakers. William’s presence signalled attention at the highest level, but public detail about the substance of his conversations with female and LGBTQ+ submariners was not released.
The visit reinforced HM Naval Base Clyde’s role as the centrepiece for Britain’s undersea forces: a place where newly qualified crews are welcomed aboard, where the Vanguard boats that form the Trident deterrent are based, and where families gather for support. Rear Admiral Perks and Commodore Haskins framed William’s stop as recognition of technical skill and teamwork; for the individuals receiving dolphins it was a personal validation of months of training and months more of service under the waves.
What remains unanswered is the most consequential question from the day: having spent time with female submariners and LGBTQ+ service members to "understand the experiences and welfare" of those groups, what specific commitments, reassurances or policy directions did William offer? The ceremony handed dolphins to a new generation; the next step will be whether the conversations he held translate into concrete changes in how the Submarine Service supports its people.
