A royal super-fan who was dubbed ‘Union Jack man’ by the late Queen has died aged 91.
Terry Hutt, of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, met Queen Elizabeth more times than any other member of the public and was famed for camping outside hospitals for several nights ahead of royal births.
Mr Hutt passed away after fighting heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis. He became a keen royalist aged only four – after the King and Queen visited his parents in London after the Blitz and gave him a souvenir mug.
Since then, he was often pictured at notable royal events donning red, white and blue – with his devotion to the monarchy leading members of the Royal household to know him as the ‘Union Jack man’.
In 2011, he camped outside Westminster Abbey to ensure a prime viewing spot for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Ahead of Prince George’s birth in 2013, he also spent almost two weeks on a bench being fed porridge and given cups of tea by staff at the hospital.
Mr Hutt then spent 14 days on a red, white and blue decorated bench outside St Mary’s Hospital in London in anticipation of the birth of Princess Charlotte.
He described his time on the ‘royal bench’ as as demanding as a full-time job, however, said he got a ‘thrill’ from seeing the royal lineage continue.
Terry Hutt pictured with the late Queen Elizabeth II – who dubbed him as ‘Union Jack man’
Mr Hutt (pictured), passed away aged 91 following heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis
Mr Hutt (pictured) was known for camping outside hospitals for several nights ahead of royal births
At the time, he said: ‘I have known William and the family for years and I always get a thrill out of seeing the new babies.
‘We need babies to keep the family going as the more of them there are, the better it will be.’
Outside his devotion to the monarchy, Mr Hutt was described as a ‘tireless’ campaigner for the NHS and the restoration of Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare.
The pier has been closed for more than thirty years due to damage from storms.
Mr Hutt was also known to travel around his hometown in a scooter, collecting thousands of signatures.
He is survived by his daughter, Tracey Joy, who said her father led a ‘life well lived’.
She said: ‘A life well lived and as we are grieving we look back at his fight for life, love for his family.
‘It has been very sad, but despite his many health ailments he continued to do everything he loved.
‘To reach the age of 91 was a miracle, overcoming kidney cancer and multiple surgeries, each time he came out fighting but heart failure along with pneumonia and sepsis took him in the end.’
