Mason who helped lay British chancery cornerstone passes to the celestial lodge

Elijah Mills, PM Arminius Lodge No. 25

It is with great lament that we write of the death of Brother Phillip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, and brother of Navy Lodge No. 2612, under the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).

Initiated on the 5th of December, 1952; passed to the Fellowcraft on the 6th of March, 1953; and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on the 4th of May that same year.

It is said he originally joined Masonry to fulfill a promise to his father-in-law, the late King of England, George VI, who wanted royal patronage of Freemasonry to continue after his death. Though instead of simply leading his name to the fraternity, UGLE reported that he maintained his membership through his life and would arrive at meetings of his Mother Lodge without warning.

He is known to us in Washington, DC, however, as a brother who travelled to this city many times on diplomatic efforts between our two great countries. While he does not appear to have Masonically visited with us, he did take part in one notable event with one of our local relics from, what appears to me at least, to be our local patron saint of Freemasonry: George Washington.

In 1957, Brother Philip and his wife were on a tour of the Washington, DC area as guests of President Eisenhower. On the morning of October the 19th of that year,

20th October 1957, Queen Elizabeth II, US president Dwight D Eisenhower with his wife Mamie and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at a White House State banquet

the couple attended with the President and First Lady at the Cathedral Church of Ss. Peter & Paul, more commonly called the National Cathedral (interestingly, another building with a Masonic cornerstone laying ceremony)1 and then went to the partly completed Chancery (it was built between 1955-1961) to lay the cornerstone. As the head of state, the cornerstone was actually laid by his wife, Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip assisting. Curiously, this writer was only able to find one image of that day, except a note in a Library of Congress filing which suggests that any additional images taken were not published. The written accounts, however, attest that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip laid the “foundation stone”2 of grey blue marble quarried in Dorset using the George Washington trowel. We do have readily available a photograph of that same trowel on the same grounds, but on the 3rd of June, 1928 being held by Ambassador Esmé Howard to dedicate the embassy building itself.

It was written at the time of the Chancery’s dedication the choice to use the gavel and trowel was a symbolic one, not just because this same trowel had been used in many Masonic ceremonies around this country’s great institutions, but because it put in the hands of Brother Philip a relic of Masonic and American history which went back to our time as one country united. In some fashion, this handling was a symbolic tie of our two nations together once again. The Washington Post and Times Herald reported that once the Queen handled the gavel and trowel, the Rt. Rev. Angus Dun, Bishop

1 The Cathedral had a Masonic cornerstone laying ceremony conducted by Br. Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 29, 1907 using a stone from Bethlehem inscribed with the verse, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” Contrary to popular belief, the Cathedral was paid for entirely with popular funds and remains entirely within the structure of the Episcopal Church of America. At least two bishops at this cathedral have been Freemasons. 2 Blakely, Julia. 2014. A TROWEL FOR THE BRITISH EMBASSY BUT NOT IN THE GARDENS. March 26. https://washingtonembassygardens.wordpress. com/2014/03/26/a-trowel-for-the-british-embassy-but-not-in-the-gardens/comment-page-1/.

Foundation stone ceremony at the new British Embassy, 3 June 1928 (Kiplinger Library, The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.).

Party at the Embassy, 1957, Washington Post, October 20 Elizabeth Places Stone at New British Chancery, Washington Post, October 20, 1957

Standalone Photo of Cornerstone Laying, Washington Post, October 20, 1957

of Washington, “wearing the scarlet and black vestments of his office, dedicated the stone.”3 It shows how centrally Masonry is woven throughout our city, not in some absurd conspiracy theory, but in the actual history of our great edifices that Brother Philip should be able to go from the Cathedral, to the British Embassy, and then to the partly completed Chancery and have only been at buildings that had cornerstone dedication ceremonies using our Masonic implements first used by Brother Washington.

It is a great loss to the Craft in general and this city in particular to lose so fine a man and Mason. Long after the distinct memory of him has faded from those lucky enough to have been present during one of his many trips to this city, the impression left on the building of the British Embassy will remain. Your faithful correspondent, ECM

3 By Elsie Carper, Staff Reporter. 1957. "Elizabeth Places Stone at New British Chancery." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959), Oct 20, 1. https://wwwproquest-com.dclibrary.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/elizabeth-places-stone-at-new-british-chancery/docview/148876848/se-2?accountid=46320.