My Royal
Attendances
For many years I have made a point of placing myself in the Gracious Presence of Royalty as often as I could possible manage. Since 1997, I have been in the Gracious Presence of Her Most Excellent Majesty The Queen at least once every single year. The table below shows where, Who and when:
| 6th September 1995 | HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ROYAL VISIT TO OLDHAM This was the first time in my life I had seen any Royalty, and so very close to home! In fact, the focal point of the Royal Visit was to my School and I was given special dispensation to come back, having left the previous summer, on condition that I wore school uniform again! |
| March 1996 | HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUCHESS OF KENT UNIVERSITY OF HULL When I got wind of a Royal Visit to open a new building at my university, I made sure I was on the front row and took along a few of my friends to swell the enthusiastic throng! |
| November 1997 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN CENOTAPH, WHITEHALL I worked in London from the autumn of 1997 until the summer of 1998 and I was determined to see Our Noble Queen at the earliest possible opportunity! There had been an early State Opening of Parliament after the general election and so the first available chance was at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph. A solemn occasion, as always, but a very proud moment for me as I caught my first glimpse of Our Glorious Sovereign, and many other members of The Royal Family. |
| June 1998 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN H.M. THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE, HORSE GUARDS The most famous military parade in the world and easily the best opportunity to see Royalty. I was very lucky as I had tickets to the parade ground so I had a spendid view of the proceedings starting from the carriage procession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother to the Sovereign's departure at the end of the parade. |
| June 1999 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN VISIT TO HULL This was during my final year exams at the University and I asked to be excused from one of my exams to attend the full day's proceedings but I was refused and had to rush back from outside the Church to the exam hall with only moments to spare! The Royal Train was due to arrive at Hull Paragon Station at 9.53am and so I arrived at 8am for a front-row view of the arrival of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. After the Royal Departure I had a good look at the splendour of the Royal Train before zipping off to Church to watch the arrival of the Royal Couple for a service of thanksgiving. I enjoyed this Royal Visit very much and it gave me a real insight into how the regional tours work. Would you believe there is an entire car just for flowers! |
| June 1999 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN H.M. THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE, HORSE GUARDS Two weeks later and I had the honour of being in the Glorious Presence of Our Gracious Sovereign again, for the second year running at Horse Guards' Parade. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother once again received the biggest cheer of all upon arrival at 10.43am on the parade ground. |
| 4th August 2000 | HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER CLARENCE HOUSE A new century, new millennium even, but thankfully all continues as normal for the Family Firm. For many years I had promised myself that I would pop along to Clarence House on August 4th to join in the birthday celebrations for Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. In 2000 I finally managed to get there although the traditional Birthday Walkabout gave way to a carriage procession down the Mall and Buckingham Palace balcony appearance with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother taking centre stage surrounded by the entire Royal Family. |
| 4th August 2001 | HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER CLARENCE HOUSE After the previous year's festivities, I was determined to go back for the more traditional Walkabout but it was a last-minute decision to go as Queen Elizabeth had been in hospital until only a couple of days before. I am glad I did, because after a couple of hours of waiting patiently on the front row, Queen Elizabeth emerged from Clarence House, being driven in Her Golf Buggy as a slight concession to Her great age. As Her Majesty came along, chatting and accepting gifts from the enormous crowds as She went, I bowed before Her Majestic Presence, said, "Happy Birthday, Ma'am," and handed to Her my special birthday letter. Queen Elizabeth said, "Thank-you, that's very kind," before continuing to meet the people. A very proud moment, which I will remember all my life, and you can see pictures of that very memorable day here and here. |
| 14th February 2002 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL I was in London to sign the Book of Condolence for Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, on the same day as Her Most Excellent Majesty's visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital. It was the day before Princess Margaret's funeral and a period of Royal Mourning but Her Majesty kept the engagement in a display of unfaltering devotion to public duty. |
| April 2002 | HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER LYING-IN-STATE AND FUNERAL On 30th March came the day many of us had begun to think might be postponed forever. Eight days later and after a wait of a mere three hours, much less than the fifteen hours bandied around irresponsibly in the press, I entered the eerie silence of Westminster Hall for the first Lying-in-State since 1965, such a breathtaking contrast from the usual bustle I had observed whilst working in Parliament five years before. On 9th April, I arrived at 6.30am to occupy a front row position across from Westminster Abbey. It was the saddest moment of my life as we said goodbye to Britain's Wartime Queen and the last Empress of India. As the motorcar procession left the Abbey, subdued but affectionate applause acknowledged Her Most Noble Majesty The Queen at a time of such great personal tragedy. |
| 3rd & 4th June 2002 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN GOLDEN JUBILEE WEEKEND I missed the Silver Jubilee by two weeks, so after waiting 25 years I wasn't going to miss this one! A million people in the Mall, the largest display of public love for The Royal Family in history and the biggest crowds in London since VE Day - a totally unforgettable experience! I watched the fireworks display, initiated by Her Most Excellent Majesty The Queen, on the Monday evening from a front-row position along the Mall and returned the following morning for the carriage procession, floats, open-top motorcar drive back to Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty and His Royal Highness and Balcony appearance. After standing still for almost 13 hours on the front row of the Mall, it was quite a struggle moving towards the Palace to see the Balcony appearance after the barriers were opened! |
| 26th November 2003 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN STATE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT I may have left it a bit late in 2003 to fit in my annual attendance upon Her Gracious Majesty Our Noble Queen but the State Opening of Parliament was a very fitting occasion when it came, full of pomp and ceremony and steeped in centuries of political and Royal history. I watched the procession from Buckingham Palace to Parliament, first of the Crown and then of The Queen-in-Parliament Herself, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. |
| 22nd October 2004 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER Another opportunity to attend a regional visit arose in October 2004 when I learned of the Gracious Visit of Her Most Excellent Majesty The Queen to Manchester University. I arrived at 8.30am before the barriers even were in place and occupied a front-row position whilst waiting for a twenty-second glimpse of Our Noble Queen. |
| July 2005 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIONS Only a couple of days after the London bombings, but that spiteful act of cowardice wasn't going to stop me being on the front row along the Mall once again for the events to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which ended with an open-top motorcar procession down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace by Her Most Gracious Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and a Balcony Appearance with a fly-past of World War II aircraft and a poppy drop from the Lancaster Bomber. |
| 17th June 2006 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN H.M. THE QUEEN'S EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY PARADE, HORSE GUARDS I was delighted to be notified of an allocation of tickets to attend Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday Parade, for the first time in seven years. There is a full pictoral report of the glorious event here! |
| 5th April 2007 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN MAUNDY THURSDAY CEREMONY, MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL As soon as I learnt about the historic decision to hold the 2007 Maundy Thursday service at Manchester Cathedral, I put in train plans to be there on the front row for my annual attendance upon Her Noble Majesty Our Glorious Queen. Please click here to see the pictures! |
| 19th November 2007 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, WESTMINSTER Sixty years of marriage was celebrated by a special service at Westminster Abbey following by the unveiling of a new Jubilee Walkway Panoramic Panel. I was on the front row again, outside the Abbey, and captured the events with my camera, which you can see more of here. |
| 28th February 2008 | HER MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY THE QUEEN AND HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE PHILIP, DUKE OF EDINBURGH MANCHESTER As soon as I heard about the visit to Manchester in about December 2007, I booked my front row place and I wasn't disappointed. As a special bonus to this very exciting day, I was allowed to take some photographs of the Royal Train at Victoria Station. Sovereign, Consort and conveyance can all be seen here. |