I know lots of people are a little or a lot sad about the Queen whether for her role in the country or simply as an older lady who has overseen us all our lives. It has been a weird few days working in London with a sombre but appreciative atmosphere and memorials cropping up all over the place. Several of my tours had to be cancelled and for others I incorporated the historic events for some very appreciative tourists, doubly so as I am suffering from a chest infection.
I have mostly put aside the grudge I had against the Royal Family for killing and overthrowing my 29th generation ancestors in 1066 and remember in 1977 as a 3 year old, standing in Wideopen just outside Newcastle waiting for hours to see the Queen and her husband drive by as I waved my flag, my mother not quite trusting me to standing on the middle railing of the fence that was probably at chest height.
Afterwards we got the bus to Newcastle. I remember singing the song Men of Harlech to a pensioner on the bus who kindly gave me 10 pence for my efforts. I was into history even then and as other children watched cartoons; I could recite Zulu, Lawrence of Arabia and other such films. In fact when I started learning German at school I was a little disappointed when the teacher asked me for a German girls name and I suggested Fraulein. All German women seemed to be called Fraulein whether in Great Escape, Where Eagles Dare… pretty much every film I watched. Turns out watching war films when you are 5 isn’t a good way to learn German names though from an early age I could buy railway tickets in German and tell Russian women I love them. I’ll leave it to you to guess which one I have put to use!
My Dad used to say old people would give me coins on the bus just to shut me up. As it turned out though when I was 10 and having moved to London I got to put my enthusiastic if not always talented voice to good use.
That year my teacher was an exchange teacher from New Zealand. Mr Kelley, I remember him still. He had been given a ticket or two to attend Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey to represent New Zealand and somehow or other I won the lucky-dip raffle at school and I was to go to the Abbey with him to possibly meet the Queen and sing for her.
I learned the song Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run in Maori off by heart. Not too difficult as Run Rabbit is just two words even in Maori. Oma rāpeti, Oma rāpeti Oma, oma, oma which I still remember to this day.
I was very excited to go to London to meet the Queen, even to go to London. I was told I might not actually meet-meet her but just see her. Anyway there were people from around the world and my teacher and I stood in the aisle as the Queen went to the front and did her thing as the church service happened.
An eternity later or so it seemed to me, it ended and the Queen came back and at total random points stopped to talk to children and guardians on both sides of the aisle. Not everyone by any means, half a dozen if that and there were hundreds of us.
By chance the Queen having last talked to someone on the other side 20 or more people away, stopped right infront of me in her elegant bright coat and dress. I sprung into action and sang my little heart out to which the Queen smiled broadly though I noticed she didn’t give me 10 pence but then the Queen doesn’t carry money does she?
Anyway I told her I was very honoured and excited to meet her before she asked me if I was honoured and excited. A bit of a faux pas according to the other adults near by but she didn’t seem to mind and she thought I was splendid. Take that Dad!
I still remember it like it was yesterday rather than February 1984 or so. I also wrote to her a year or so ago and got a wonderful reply back, even about Excluded and business related matters albeit in a very Queen sort of way.
I was going to tell you how Prince Philip gatecrashed one of my tours with a liberal use of F-bombs but perhaps I’ve prattled on enough!
One last thing though, I was giving a tour on Friday morning to a man and his mother from Boston. Our planned tours this weekend were totally impossible so I was taking him on a hastily arranged cruise to Greenwich to stand on the time line and all that jazz.
It turns out he is friends with a Phil Paleologos well known national radio presenter who now has a local show in on 1420WBSM just outside Boston (USA not Lincolnshire) and whilst giving a tour to his mother on the Thames, somehow I ended up also doing a radio interview on Boston Breakfast radio on my thoughts on the Queen.
It was quite surreal and for once I knew it wasn’t the place to badmouth the pillocks in the government but given I’m on antibiotics, steroids, giving a tour and feeling rather sad myself before I was jumped on. I don’t think I did too bad.
You can hear me a few minutes into the 3rd hour of Fridays 9th September show. I always have a phrase of Winston Churchill in my head when I go on tv or radio… Here’s to not buggering it up! I don’t think I did but you can click the link and find the show and see for yourself.
Phil seemed to be ready to offer me a co-host position so unlike the government, at least someone thinks I’m viable!
I won’t be blogging on Monday as a mark of respect and for the first time in almost 9 years, I won’t be doing any tour work either.
Stephen Liddell 
Wonderful story, thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad you enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 2 people