He rubbed shoulders with Prince Charles
Dec 10, 2007
THEY say patience pays and that good things come to those who wait. Well, this is not any different when it comes to a job. For Joseph Butchike, 54, working for 12 years as a driver at the British High Commission not only landed him an opportunity to drive Prince Charles, the heir to the British thr
By Irene Nabusoba
THEY say patience pays and that good things come to those who wait. Well, this is not any different when it comes to a job. For Joseph Butchike, 54, working for 12 years as a driver at the British High Commission not only landed him an opportunity to drive Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, but also to interact with the royal.
Butchike was the man that solely drove Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, Camilla, also the Duchess of Cornwall, during their recent three-day visit to Uganda, which coincided with the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was in the country to open the high profile meeting, together with his father, Prince Phillip of Edinburgh.
Butchike drove Prince Charles, who was attending the biennial meeting for the first time outside Britain, right from the airport to some events at the summit.
These included driving them to a series of charity functions, the Source of the Nile in Jinja where he took a boat ride and back to the airport.
But while many would imagine that he was a nobody to engage the ‘king in waiting’, apart from chauffeuring, Butchike played a new acquaintance — a tour guide and an entertainer.
“I always know that when you are driving such important people, they either read papers, novels, and generally mind their business. But this was different with Prince Charles. Him and I were like old buddies in a sitting room, chatting,†Butchike reveals.
“We discussed a wide range of topics. It was amazing that I had no trouble contributing to the conversation. Prince Charles asked me questions like, ‘where were you during President Idi Amin’s regime, how did you survive death, what is Uganda’s staple food?â€â€™ he adds.
For a man, only studied to a level of Primary Seven, many would wonder what the next King of England would discuss with him. Even Butchike is amazed at how he freely interacted with the Prince.
“He was so down to earth. So simple, friendly and intelligent. He surprised me with so many questions,†Butchike adds.
Like Charles’ father, Prince Phillip, we can say Charles is as social as his father. Prince Phillip asked his hosts a lot of questions and only Butchike can narrate the likeness Prince Charles has with his father.
Born in Bwaramba village, Kisoro district, to Tadewo Mutchike and Amina Mukabaziga, Butchike, a father of six, had never felt this important until he was with Prince Charles.
Butchike, who studied at Kitante and Kiswa Primary School, first worked as a house stewart at the Ghana High Commission after completing P.7.
As he worked there, he learnt to drive and later joined the Ministry of Industry as a driver. That was during Amin’s time. He later crossed to the British High Commission and has never left.
Tall, medium-built and of fairly dark complexion, Butchike’s work environment has had a great bearing in shaping his character. He is soft-spoken, respectful and neat.
You can tell from the way he selects his words and the line on his pressed clothes that he is a careful, and neat — what you would expect of a kind of person that has served high government officials and foreign dignitaries anyway.
His driving experience of 28 years, exposure and team spirit has earned him the position of transport manager at the commission.
He has had a chance driving Lindah Chalker a few times, Princes Anne (Prince Charles’ sister) during her visit to Uganda in 1998, besides the many high profile foreign dignitaries.
Nevertheless, apart from his family, colleagues and probably his employers, who would care to know Butchike in an individual capacity? Not his ‘big’ clients definitely! But prince Charles did.
“For once, I got a feeling of importance, not only being viewed as a chauffeur, but as a person in the know and, that coming from a person of high social standing like a royal, may be the next king of England, was really a plus for my driving experience,†he boasts.
But how did he get the confidence of handling such guests like royals? Butchike was specifically trained by the Royal Military Training School in the UK after one year with the commission.
“You know, driving such guests is no ordinary thing like driving everyday.
You have to know invasive driving to manoeuvre in convoys, learn courtesy and watch out for security detail. Besides, the vehicles are special. You can even fail to open one,†he boasts.
He still had to go for a refresher course in July to prepare him for the royals’ visit, given the fact that CHOGM is an important global event.
Butchike also got new attire, specially tailored for such occasions — something he had never imagined wearing.
Asked whether he knew the designer of his attire, Butchike says: “No. But I know he or she was good. It felt good wearing it,†he says.
Butchike will forever cherish this memory. He has an autographed picture of the couple hanging on his wall.
He is so grateful to the commission for allowing his family share the experience with the royals.
“They honoured me by arranging for my children to see the Queen when she visited Kintate Primary School. The commission arranged for them to be there and at least wave to her,†he says.
THEY say patience pays and that good things come to those who wait. Well, this is not any different when it comes to a job. For Joseph Butchike, 54, working for 12 years as a driver at the British High Commission not only landed him an opportunity to drive Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, but also to interact with the royal.
Butchike was the man that solely drove Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, Camilla, also the Duchess of Cornwall, during their recent three-day visit to Uganda, which coincided with the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was in the country to open the high profile meeting, together with his father, Prince Phillip of Edinburgh.
Butchike drove Prince Charles, who was attending the biennial meeting for the first time outside Britain, right from the airport to some events at the summit.
These included driving them to a series of charity functions, the Source of the Nile in Jinja where he took a boat ride and back to the airport.
But while many would imagine that he was a nobody to engage the ‘king in waiting’, apart from chauffeuring, Butchike played a new acquaintance — a tour guide and an entertainer.
“I always know that when you are driving such important people, they either read papers, novels, and generally mind their business. But this was different with Prince Charles. Him and I were like old buddies in a sitting room, chatting,†Butchike reveals.
“We discussed a wide range of topics. It was amazing that I had no trouble contributing to the conversation. Prince Charles asked me questions like, ‘where were you during President Idi Amin’s regime, how did you survive death, what is Uganda’s staple food?â€â€™ he adds.
For a man, only studied to a level of Primary Seven, many would wonder what the next King of England would discuss with him. Even Butchike is amazed at how he freely interacted with the Prince.
“He was so down to earth. So simple, friendly and intelligent. He surprised me with so many questions,†Butchike adds.
Like Charles’ father, Prince Phillip, we can say Charles is as social as his father. Prince Phillip asked his hosts a lot of questions and only Butchike can narrate the likeness Prince Charles has with his father.
Born in Bwaramba village, Kisoro district, to Tadewo Mutchike and Amina Mukabaziga, Butchike, a father of six, had never felt this important until he was with Prince Charles.
Butchike, who studied at Kitante and Kiswa Primary School, first worked as a house stewart at the Ghana High Commission after completing P.7.
As he worked there, he learnt to drive and later joined the Ministry of Industry as a driver. That was during Amin’s time. He later crossed to the British High Commission and has never left.
Tall, medium-built and of fairly dark complexion, Butchike’s work environment has had a great bearing in shaping his character. He is soft-spoken, respectful and neat.
You can tell from the way he selects his words and the line on his pressed clothes that he is a careful, and neat — what you would expect of a kind of person that has served high government officials and foreign dignitaries anyway.
His driving experience of 28 years, exposure and team spirit has earned him the position of transport manager at the commission.
He has had a chance driving Lindah Chalker a few times, Princes Anne (Prince Charles’ sister) during her visit to Uganda in 1998, besides the many high profile foreign dignitaries.
Nevertheless, apart from his family, colleagues and probably his employers, who would care to know Butchike in an individual capacity? Not his ‘big’ clients definitely! But prince Charles did.
“For once, I got a feeling of importance, not only being viewed as a chauffeur, but as a person in the know and, that coming from a person of high social standing like a royal, may be the next king of England, was really a plus for my driving experience,†he boasts.
But how did he get the confidence of handling such guests like royals? Butchike was specifically trained by the Royal Military Training School in the UK after one year with the commission.
“You know, driving such guests is no ordinary thing like driving everyday.
You have to know invasive driving to manoeuvre in convoys, learn courtesy and watch out for security detail. Besides, the vehicles are special. You can even fail to open one,†he boasts.
He still had to go for a refresher course in July to prepare him for the royals’ visit, given the fact that CHOGM is an important global event.
Butchike also got new attire, specially tailored for such occasions — something he had never imagined wearing.
Asked whether he knew the designer of his attire, Butchike says: “No. But I know he or she was good. It felt good wearing it,†he says.
Butchike will forever cherish this memory. He has an autographed picture of the couple hanging on his wall.
He is so grateful to the commission for allowing his family share the experience with the royals.
“They honoured me by arranging for my children to see the Queen when she visited Kintate Primary School. The commission arranged for them to be there and at least wave to her,†he says.