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Katrine Prince OBE FTS MIL MITG LFGGL 1939 - 2004

With the tragic death of Katrine Prince on 10 September 2004, we have lost an inspirational force that transformed the tourist guiding profession. From the moment Katrine qualified as a London Blue Badge guide thirty years ago, she devoted her considerable intellect and energy into developing tourist guide training and the requisite professional organisational structures both in the UK and worldwide. This outstanding personal contribution was recognised nationally with the award of the OBE in 1999. Katrine worked tirelessly to increase the standing, both in the UK and internationally, of the profession of tourist guiding, culminating in 2002 in the establishment of the Institute of Tourist Guiding as the government approved standard setting body for the sector.

Katrine was brought up in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and worked as a linguist in Switzerland, Italy and Germany before settling in London. Her first involvement in tourist guiding was in 1971 as a (self taught!) driver guide - in those days virtually the only coaches on the road were Evan Evans. After gaining a language degree at London University and producing her second son (simultaneously), she took the London Blue Badge guide course, qualifying in 1974 - and she later qualified as a Wales and as a Cumbria Blue Badge guide. She relished working as a tourist guide, particularly specialising in study tours in French, German and Italian.

Once qualified, Katrine immediately became involved in the organisation of the then Guild of Guide Lecturers (now Guild of Registered Tourist Guides). With her first class administrative skills, vision and powers of persuasion she led it from being a purely London organisation housed in her front bedroom to a national organisation with its own office, using modern business procedures, producing monthly newsletters, diaries, a directory of members and a variety of other membership services. She was instrumental in organising the Guild's thirtieth anniversary celebrations in 1980 with a special service in Westminster Abbey and receptions in both Guildhall and County Hall. In 2000 Katrine was a keynote speaker at its Golden Jubilee. She served as Secretary General of the Guild as well as undertaking three terms as Chairman, during which time discussions were initiated to explore the possibility of the Guild joining a trades union. This did not happen but, as a result, the Association of Professional Tourist Guides (APTG) was founded in 1989 as a branch of the then MSF (now Amicus). Katrine remained a member of both the Guild and APTG, always hoping that one day the profession would be reunited under one organisation.

Katrine started teaching on the Blue Badge course in 1975 and, in 1983, following a Post Graduate Teacher Training course, she was appointed by the then London Tourist Board as Director of Studies for the London Blue Badge course - a post which she held until her retirement in 2002. Over 700 London Blue Badge guides qualified under her tutelage. With her extraordinary gifts, she nurtured each and every one, inspiring them with her enthusiasm and enabling them to reach their full potential. She transformed the course by developing her visionary concept of the essence of good tourist guiding: the marriage of knowledge and practical guiding skills. This is now known internationally by the title of her influential book, The Art of Guiding. Key to the success of this concept was the recognition of the importance of communication skills and, typically, Katrine looked outside the narrow confines of tourist guiding, to the business world for ideas for what became the 'Communication Seminar'.

As a linguist, Katrine was involved in the establishment of language testing for tourist guides, developed in conjunction with the Institute of Linguists and the then English Tourist Board. She undertook language testing and tourist guide assessing throughout England and Wales. Amongst many ongoing professional training courses for London Blue Badge guides run by Katrine, special mention should be made of the endorsement courses she ran in the Palace of Westminster, which helped lead to the current highly successful summer recess tours of Parliament by Blue Badge guides. She was also involved in the establishment of daily Highlights tours by Blue Badge guides in the British Museum.

From 1994 to 2004 Katrine was Course Director for the annual City of London guide training course (with accreditation from City University). She also delivered training for in-house guides at a number of locations - from stately homes (such as Blenheim Palace and Harewood House) to companies (such as Boots) and attractions (such as London Zoo, Cutty Sark Distillery and Denby Pottery Works).

From 1989 to 1991 Katrine was a consultant to the then English Tourist Board in its discussions with the University of London Institute of Education about common standards in tourist guide training. Then she became involved in the drafting of national standards at levels 2 and 3 in Commentaries and Interpretation and level 4 in Tourist Guiding. Subsequently, in 1998, ETB decided the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) route should be pursued to the exclusion of all others - a decision with which she profoundly disagreed and which she and others believed threatened the very existence of tourist guiding as a profession. At the same time the London Tourist Board decided to close its Guide Department. The leukaemia from which Katrine died had just been diagnosed but, with immense courage and determination, in January 1998, she drew together a small group including the then Chairmen of the Guild and APTG and a number of experienced tourist guide trainers, to explore the possibility of establishing an Institute of Tourist Guiding. The Tourist Guiding Foundation was set up as an interim measure. Subsequently she was a key member of the TGF/English Tourism Council Tourist Guide Training Working Party. In March 2002, after four long years and extensive nationwide consultation, the Institute of Tourist Guiding was established as the government approved standard setting body for the sector and the profession took responsibility for its own destiny. It stands as a lasting legacy of Katrine's life's work.

A few days after the celebratory reception in Parliament hosted by the Minister of Tourism, Katrine was again admitted to hospital for several months' treatment, leading to a bone marrow transplant. Thereafter she was mainly confined to her home, with occasional forays to various parts of the UK and Europe to catalyse new courses, to run Communication Seminars, to lead workshops for guide trainers or examiners, to attend meetings and, as always, to give unstintingly of her advice, her time and her expertise. Undeterred and, though frail, more indomitable than ever, she became Deputy President of the Institute in March and was looking forward to assuming the Presidency in November. She continued to make a unique contribution to the Institute right up until the last week of her life.

Katrine revolutionised tourist guiding not only in the UK but in other countries worldwide. She was very supportive of the establishment both of the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) and the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA). In addition she was head hunted to work as a trainer and consultant from Florence to Fiji, Geneva to Hong Kong, the Caribbean to Russia, French Polynesia to Latvia and, most recently, Malta in 2004. As an international expert, she was training consultant in the early years of WFTGA and regularly addressed the WFTGA Congresses on The Art of Guiding - including in Cyprus, Finland, South Africa and Singapore. She was also a leading figure in the development of a course to train guide trainers.

Throughout the past eight years- and until the last week of her life - Katrine was closely involved in FEG. She served as Secretary from 1998-2000 and had been FEG Training Officer since 1996, as well as providing the Secretariat since 1998. In 1996 she prepared and published a paper for FEG on Comparative Guide Training throughout Europe. She represented FEG at a number of EU meetings in Brussels and led training workshops in Heidelberg, Salzburg and, most recently, in the Canaries last winter when the subject was again Comparative Guide Training throughout Europe - as a step towards the establishment of a common platform for tourist guide training across Europe. She also oversaw the drawing up of a Quality Charter for tourist guides in Europe and of criteria for a Europe-wide language test for tourist guides, based on the system developed in the UK. Both documents were approved at the FEG Convention in Sicily in February this year.

Katrine's death leaves an aching void in the lives of her many friends and colleagues, as well as at the heart of the profession she loved. We shall all miss her warmth, generosity, sense of humour and zest for life. But her family was always the most important part of her life. She leaves her husband, Martin, two sons, Philipp and Christophe, and her sister, Brigitte.

A celebration of and thanksgiving for Katrine's life was held at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden on Friday 22 October 2004.

Fiona Grant, Tom Hooper, Richard Skinner, Nina Teller, Helen Tozer, Monica Carney and Sandra Jack 21.09.04