Meeting Royalty

Have you ever met a member of the Royal Family? The seventieth birthday of the Prince of Wales last month prompted some memories.

A few of my friends and acquaintances have been invited to Buckingham Palace. I have merely been an onlooker and visited the palace as a tourist. The Coronation Exhibition was very well presented. I enjoyed it with an audio-guide, which included a welcome from the Prince of Wales.

Visiting London as a child, people let me through to the ropes near the road. The royal car with Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came into sight. As it drew level the Queen leant forward obscuring him and waved to the crowds lining the other side of the road! I have forgotten the purpose of our trip to London, but seeing the royal car was not on the original itinerary. We had followed the crowds.

Once in my student days I emerged from a small railway station to find people lining the road. I asked one of the policemen what was going on.

“Prince Charles is coming. He’s late and I want to go and play golf!”

I waited and saw him go past in a car on the way to open a new building at a nearby college.

Although I now live in a remote part of England we have had a few royal visitors. The first time I went to see HRH Prince Charles in our village, I had a normal morning for that stage of my life. After taking the children to school, I had gone home to do some housework. Nipping out to join a crowd of onlookers I was surprised that some of them had dressed in their smartest clothes. It hadn’t occurred to me to dress up!

The footbridge at the station

The next time he was due to arrive in the royal train I positioned myself near the station and had a good view of him crossing the footbridge. I had my camera with me and was about to take a close-up shot of him, when I decided that would be rather rude. I lowered my camera. He seemed to notice as he made a remark along the lines of, “Do you people know how to use those things?”

Whatever our opinion of the government and whether we should have a monarch, we are instructed to pray for those in authority.

Of course, we pray to (or in the name of) the ultimate authority. We believe that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

A member of ACW, who hosts the local writing group, told me about something, which happened on a train journey. She was sitting quietly, while other passengers – young women – were talking. One of them, surprised, said, “Jesus Christ!”

My friend looked at her and said, “You know you’ll have to meet Him one day.”

So will we. Will we be dressed appropriately?

As it is New Year’s Eve, I wish you all a peaceful New Year.