Memories and Opinions

First Published 15 September 2022

The Queen died last week.  Some people are talking about how much she did for the country/commonwealth as they reminisce with sadness or perhaps even grief.  Some people are talking about how little of an impact she had on their lives and ‘why do we have to watch non stop footage about her life and the flowers/pomp and ceremony that is on tv’.  Others are confused and not really sure how they feel.

I think elements of these very different stand points can be seen in some way situations across our lifetimes

One thing I do hope for, is that whichever of the ‘people’ you identify with in the above (and it can be a mixture of elements of all 3 – I am mostly in the third category) that we all remember that these are our ways of dealing with life as we see/experience it, and that we should always strive to be kind to one another.  Maybe look at other points of view to attempt to understand where the other person is coming from – doesn’t mean you have to agree with or endorse their opinions – just be open to listen.

If you need support with what’s going on just now or for any other situations around grief or other difficult emotions please do hit reply, book a session or a quick chat on the links below.

As a lot of people are sharing anecdotes and memories of The Queen, I thought I would join in!

In the late 90s I was invited to a declaration signing at Westminster Abbey, where I would read a third of the declaration (along with 2 other people).  Most of you who know me, know that public speaking doesn’t bother me so of course I agreed.

Only later did I find out that there were going to be a lot of ‘VIP’s’ in attendance, 2 of which would be members of the royal family…

I arrived on the day, got into the Abbey to do a run through, but half way through the police arrived with sniffer dogs 😲 and we all had to leave!  Apparently this was standard protocol when The Queen and Prince Philip were going anywhere.

After I got my head around the one word I kept pronouncing wrong I was all good to go. When it was time for the reading of the declaration, I had to get up out of the pew and walk past The Queen without acknowledging her – it was so tempting to turn to catch a proper glimpse but, I was good and kept looking straight ahead.  During my reading however I did look up – and made direct eye contact with The Queen – I am still not sure how I managed to get through the sentence without getting all flustered!

Unfortunately, The Queen had a cold and so she went home rather than coming to the reception afterwards.  I did get to have a quick chat with Prince Philip though.  

And that’s my ‘weak claim to fame’ of almost meeting The Queen!

If you look at the pic above, this was when the Primus caught me phoning my mum to come meet me at the end of the reception – yes, that’s an old school analogue flip phone – well, it was almost 25 years ago!