(Stories posted on Mondays on this blog – at least for a while – will present famous people I once spotted, albeit from a distance.)
It was 1970. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and youthful Prince Charles and Princess Anne were to visit the Sunken Garden in the city of Napier’s Marine Parade. The Queen had instituted the “walkabout”. She would walk along the street with a barricade preventing subjects from getting too close, and offer a gloved hand to thrilled and glowing underlings spontaneously selected.
Napier is an eastern coastal city half way up New Zealand’s North Island. It is best known for a devastating earthquake in 1931 that killed lots of people. My mother was in it! As the city was completely rebuilt in the 1930s, it is an outstanding example of the Art Deco style of the time. And on the seafront it has a sunken garden with a floral clock.
I lived within biking distance from the sunken garden. In those days you could lean your bike against a lamp post and it would still be there when you came back. My friend said, “Let’s go see the queen.” It had never occurred to me to do that, so we hopped on our bikes and set off.
My friend and I had a technique to get to the front of a crowd, and indeed on this day the crowd lining the street was impassable. We needed to get to the front. In those days the Catholic Mass was in Latin and we had both been altar boys. Separated from each other by a few yards we started calling out Latin to each other as if we were having a conversation in a foreign language (even though we didn’t have a clue what it meant). The crowd stepped aside. We important foreigners walked to the front for a brilliant view.
AND… HERE THEY COME! The queen toddled past to applause followed by Charles and Anne. Prince Philip lagged behind. He clearly too often stopped to chat to people. As he passed the lady next to me called out, “Hey Duke, come over here!” He turned, wagged his finger at her, and said “Aha! Aha!”
Oh my goodness me! That was the day Prince Philip said “Aha! Aha!” and I saw…
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second
I heard that she’s actually a lizard disguised as a person. Can you confirm or deny?
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Apparently she has a lizard’s tongue but I’ve never had the opportunity to see it.
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I see.
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“Let’s go see the queen.” … you know…you just don’t hear that everyday. No wonder you went.
Doctor Who had a story line that the royal family were werewolves…hey you never know. It still had to be a thrill to see her that young.
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I would’ve enjoyed the werewolf more!!
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That is what I thought!
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That’s pretty cool. I shook hands with George W. Bush one time. That’s all. Not much of a story really.
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I shook hand with Joseph Kennedy (Bobby’s son) when he was campaigning and promised to vote for him (when I didn’t have a vote!)
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lol. Well, you probably fit well into the Kennedy legacy then.
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Pretty cool, especially the Latin bit. I can’t claim any such meetings, unless shaking Richard Nixon’s hand counts!
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I have grown to like Nixon!
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Me too if it weren’t for his paranoia. I think he was a good pres otherwise.
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Pax vobiscum!
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LOL. Thank you!
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British royalty are the product of exquisite refined inbreeding that shook out healthy genes as it added on layer after layer of pomp, circumstance, and poshness.
They are a wholly artificial construct, driven to meet the needs of the people. It must be hard to be powerful figureheads in image without any real power. Parliament stripped that away long ago. Ah well. To each his own.
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Great story Bruce. I bet she remembers you two boys.
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I’m still waiting for the knighthood, John.
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I’ll have a word with her … 😂
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!!
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My favourite national hymn is God Save The Queen from letting Bruce get too close.
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Ha ha! I wonder if she remembers me?
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How could she not have been charmed beyond words by your presence and it having a major affect on her sovereign rule of the Commonwealth henceforth.
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Thank you. Thank goodness I am used to such acclaim.
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