ANDREW GALE has revealed that even Prince Philip is backing Yorkshire to build on this summer’s LV= County Championship title success.

Gale and first-team coach Jason Gillespie led a White Rose trip to the Palace, where a number of the squad were officially presented with their medals and represented with the Championship trophy by the Duke of Edinburgh as part of an annual Lord’s Taverners event.

Yorkshire’s players were greeted by the Duke in one of the Palace’s sparkling drawing rooms yesterday afternoon, although a number of the players and the club’s hierarchy were missing due to long-standing holiday commitments.

Twelve players, including Sessay teenager Karl Carver, five backroom staff and President Dickie Bird, no stranger to meeting royalty, posed for photos outside the Palace before heading in to meet His Royal Highness.

Australian Gillespie described the occasion as “a bit surreal”, and Yorkshire skipper Gale admitted: “We were presented with our medals and the Prince came and spoke to everyone individually. It was overwhelming, one of those days where you’ve got to pinch yourself.

“He asked me if there were any Yorkshire lads in the Yorkshire team, and I said ‘yes, most of them have come through the Academy’.

“He does it every year and said that he hadn’t seen us for a while. I told him it had been 13 years, and he said ‘hopefully it won’t take that long again and we’ll be here again seeing you next year.

“It’s been fantastic. To pull up outside the gates, get off the bus and walk through the Palace, we were all a little bit in awe really. It’s the icing on the cake after having a few weeks of celebrations and a bit of time to reflect.

“To come here and get our medals and receive the trophy again from royalty, it’s fantastic. Words can’t explain it.”

The party then dashed across London to meet Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street before being guests at a reception at the House of Commons last night, something Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams helped organise.

Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves was present, and he has also challenged his players to make sure they are returning to Palace this time next year: “It’s been a fantastic day,” he said.

“I’m pleased for the boys, all the staff and the supporters because this has been a long time coming.

“We want more of it. The players we’ve got and the Academy structure, I believe that can take us a long way over the next ten years.”

Asked if there were any amusing moments, Gale added: “Yes, Andrew Hodd sitting in Winston Churchill’s spot in the Cabinet room thinking he was the Prime Minister.”