Have you seen any of the Royal Family up close?

My Mum was introduced to Princess Diana. My father had just died and instead of flowers we had collected money and bought a set of hand bells for the local Mencap. On the day a new centre was opened, the young people played the bells and Mum was in pride of place. The following day it was announced that the princess was pregnant and my Mum was telling everyone that she knew, she’d guessed from the way Diana had looked! For my mother it was an extremely special moment at a very sad time of her life.

In 1953 I was in charge of a stand at the Rhodes Centenary Exhibition in Bulawayo, Rhodeisa. I was invited and attended a function at Government house and there saw and met The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.

When I was a child I saw Queen Mary close up when she visited my town.
When I was at University the Duchess of Kent was installed as Chancellor. I was in the small choir who sang at the event, and later sang grace at the luncheon. As she was a singer she made a point of thanking us. N.B no posh lunch for us, we just got sandwiches.
The following year she presented me with my degree.

I’ve seen the Queen and Princess Anne and had a tour of Prince Charles Highgrove garden. My Dd has seen P Andrew and spent a day out opening things with Princess Anne when she (DD) was a Lord Leiutenants Cadet.

The earliest one - when WW2 ended the King and Queen did a tour of the country and came to my home town,
We were all lined up at the sides of the road and cheered every coal cart and lorry that passed, until at last they arrived..
Then when I was a student, '50s, the old Queen Mother came to open our new residential place, where I had a room. We all had to stand outside our rooms as she passed, and bob a curtsey. She spoke individually to everyone.

When I was a child in the 1930s my parents and I were sitting on a seat in the Tate Gallery when my mother said “What lovely stockings that woman is wearing”. She turned round and it was Marina, Duchess of Kent. She smiled and said thank you.
During the war I was stationed just outside Windsor so saw a lot of the royalCycling along the road when the King’s car drove very fast past me knocking me Ito the ditch. Didn’t stop to see if I was Ok.
An RAF friend had to go to the castle to teach the princesses the morse code. My husband was in the Grenadier Guards when Princess Elizabeth was Commander in Chief and she used to inspect parades so he saw her close up.
During the late sixties we used to go to Sandown races in the winter. The Queen Mother was a regular visitor and she stopped and talked to my mother as we passed going into the Silver Ring.. she always wore a head scarf and boots.
My son received the Edinburgh award from the Duke himself. Said he had bad skin.

Mr.Gravy has just reminded me that we sat in the row behind Prince Charles in the Royal Enclosure at Party in the Park, he was very relaxed and friendly (especially when some of the pop group The Corrs came and sat with him for a while). Cherie Blair and her eldest two boys were seated five rows behind us.

I got asked "are you anyone special, as I do not think I have done your hair" by a celebrity hairdresser. I was tempted to say excuse me but should I know you???

I saw and took photo's of Diana, when she opened the newly built and refurbished hospital I worked at, she was lovely. I also saw the Queen at the same hospital, I was stood near the table which had been set up for her to sign the visitors book, she signed and looked at us all stood there and said "it just flows off the pen" to which there was stifled laughter......as has been said she is tiny, and Diana was tall. Only memories but good ones x

I’ve just remembered that DD, her friend and I had afternoon tea at Highgrove.

Anndddd I seen P William playing polo

I have never spoken to any member of a Royal family, but I did see Queen Elizabeth II quite close up, when she visited Paisley years ago when I was a teenager. I stood on the pavement behind Paisley Abbey as she drove past. I was disappointed that she look bored and rather grumpy.

I have seen the Danish Royal family frequently while I lived in Copenhagen, but have never spoken to any of them.

I worked at Eton College years ago now. I regularly saw Prince Harry walking up the cobbled road from his lessons to where he boarded with other boys. All the boys were usually in their Eton uniforms. Prince Harry was about 15 years old and still looks very similar today but minus the beard.

Many times I passed Harry on the narrow street and we had to pass in such close proximity I would always smile and occasionally he would smile back. As we worked in the college the rule was we could not talk to the royals so I never spoke to him.
Prince William was also there but he was older and boarded in another part I did not see him as often but when I saw him he always reminded me of Diana he had a certain look about him.
Even now when I see Prince Harry on T.V. I am reminded of that red haired boy in his Eton College uniform.

My husband has met Camilla and Princess Anne through work and said they were both charming. Many, many years ago, Prince Charles was visiting our area and my sister saw him and said he was much shorter than we might think. The next day my dad took her to take a piano exam. While in the waiting room he asked where the toilets were. He was informed where the nearest one was but the steward then added that if he preferred he could use the very one that PRINCE CHARLES had used!

My DH met the Queen in 2004 at Buckingham palace when he was awarded an OBE for services to Education and Young People. He never speaks of it but I am so proud of him.

Three years later he met Prince Charles at Highgrove at a lunch for a group of retiring Headteachers. We have lovely photographs.

At a Buck house garden Party with my Dad and mingled at the tower,I wasn't put in it! I am short and they are a lot shorter than I imagined particularly the Duke Great to have had Princess Diana with her good looking genes for future gens

I remember being taken with other kids from my primary school to see the queen when she visited the children's hospital in East London that was named after her. That was in the 70s and I remember being very excited at the time. I then saw her again at one of the royal parks with Prince Philip and Prince Charles although I can't remember the occasion. More recently though I attended a pre Christmas drinks party at St James' palace where I saw Prince Andrew and his daughters. They were all lovely.

Can I just say again what a joy it is reading all these posts?

Some great stories here on a most unusual topic!

Lovetopaint037. Was the school in Victoria St.Peters by any chance?.

My husband, daughter and I had just gone to the Highland Games in Scotland in the late 70s. We were alone on a beautiful windy road walking back to our car when a big black limousine passed by us. To our surprise, the Queen was waving to us from the back window!!!

Attended Prince Charles's 70th birthday celebrations in Spencer House last year. Wonderful day. Charming man with a good sense of humour. Memories that will last for ever.

Saw Princess Anne at close quarters in the 1980's when she became Chancellor of the University of London (I worked at Goldsmiths College at the time). I remember she was smaller and far prettier than I expected (she obviously just isn't photogenic). Have also encountered Prince Andrew on a visit to York but he just looked bored ...

The Queen walked past me, inches away, when I was a schoolgirl, and she was just about my height, including her hat. I also saw Pince Philip at a reception and was surprised that he was a lot shorter than I had thought - maybe he had looked tall in photos in comparison with the Queen.

In 1970 I was walking from the Serpentine Gallery with my baby in a sling when the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne drove past me. They smiled and looked out at us. I think it was quite unusual to see a baby in a sling then.

saw the queen in the 70s, and saw Andrew many years back where an elderly gent told him off for arriving hours late and he told the gent to f off,

Saw Prince Charles windsurfing off Cowes in 1976.
Spoke with Princess Alexandra (1980) when she unexpectedly asked me, whilst presenting me with my degree, what I had planned to do after graduation- I replied 'probably teach' - unsurprising as my degree was in Education and English! (longstanding joke in our family following this was that there were only 2 ladies at the graduation ceremony wearing posh hats- the princess and my mother, who had the vapours almost!).
I should have met Princess Anne at a very posh dinner on board a P+O cruise ship where my husband worked. It was docked at Tilbury ( mid to late 1980's) and I had bought the elbow length evening gloves, long, black taffeta evening dress etc) but she had to cancel due to illness- so I didn't need to wear the gloves consequently!