FORMER Coventry City Councillor David Skinner MBE and his wife Sheila celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on yesterday (Tuesday) with a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla.
David, 91, is originally from Guildford and went to school in Epsom and Sheila, 85, was born in Coventry and was schooled in Warwick.
After spending four years in the RAF, David joined the Foreign Office – where Sheila worked after three years at the University of Leicester.
The pair met in the same department of the Foreign Office and got married in Coventry with a blessing at the church in Stoneleigh.
David was immediately posted to South Africa said ‘travelling there by sea counted as their honeymoon’.
The pair went on to have five children – Russell, Gilly, Helen, Carol and Chris – and five grandchildren whose ages range from 14 to 16 years.
David and Sheila’s hobbies have mostly involved sport, including tennis, table tennis and golf which David played at a good level.
His disability now prevents him from playing, but he has only recently resigned his position as a city councillor.
Sheila has played a lot of tennis, but is also very involved with the Women’s Institute (WI) at Stoneleigh, as well as the Kenilworth Twinning Association.
The pair celebrated with a visit from some members of their family and hope to have a get-together with the whole family soon.
The card from The King and Queen is not the proud monarchists’ brush with royalty.
David holds three Queen’s Commissions, has met Prince William and King Charles – when the monarch was a prince, along with Princess Diana.
Back in 2017, David and Sheila met Queen Elizabeth II at a Buckingham Palace garden party and he was presented with his MBE – for services to the community in Coventry – by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle in 2022.
And, when asked the secret to a long and happy marriage, the pair said: “Tolerance of each other but also a share in our interests and hobbies.”
