Have you seen any of the Royal Family up close?

I have photographs of me with Prince Charles when I worked at Gatwick Airport....
A photo of me with Diana in Brighton...
And a photo of me seated in the presence of the Queen Mother....

Have to say Diana was stunning and tall......wonderful.

Urmstongran The Queen has been back to Aberfan 5 times

Yes Prince Charles ans Camillia. Through work. I was in the line up to be introduced to them they asked. A couple of questions and I think shook hands. they were just like any other late middle aged couple which apart from the money, pomp, ceremony and tradition is what they are.

Yes. At the International Garden Festival 1984. We received an invitation to attend the opening ceremony and, during The Queen’s walk about we were 2-3ft away from her. HM The Queen is tiny; with thick make-up and stout shoes. Completely wowed by her!

Ten years ago we went to a garden party at the palace. We saw the Queen and Philip close up and we wandered around their garden. The heavens opened and they let us into the palace. We also went to trooping the colour some years ago and saw a lot of them, including Princess Diana. I have photos of her.

I did think of Aberfan Anniebach when I started the thread but didn’t like to mention it.
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My parents used to own a pub frequented by RN pilots. One evening Andrew came in with two body guards. They order a large meal with lots of drinks so the bill was extensive. They then walked out without paying!! Me, being 18 chased after them and demanded they pay!!! I was told by bodyguard that they normally return after to do so!! Not the point!! Lol! They did pay but Andrew was most put out! Many years later I was at a cocktail party in Gibraltar that he attended, so I asked if he had started to pay his bar bills yet!!!

I have been to lunch with the Queen, memorable because I only got to eat half my lunch as they clear the table when the Queen puts down her knife and fork.
DH was awarded an OBE so we went to the palace but it was Prince Charles presenting the awards that day, Queen was giving her speech in Parliament.

I had forgotten I was in Aberfan when The Queen, Prince Phillip and Lord Snowdon visited the village.

Queen mother, must have been about 1970. In a crowd and she suddenly appeared milling through. I thought that she looked as if she had powdered her face with flour!

Forgot also that as a youngster at that same school in Victoria we were taken regularly to the swimming baths. As the games mistress stood in the middle of the pedestrian crossing seeing us across she was saying look “itsPrince Charles” and there he was a little tot sitting in the front of the car that had stopped for us. He was on his nanny’s lap and sitting next to the chauffeur. As we smiled and waved he sat waving back to us. Imagine that happening today! No seat belts and tots sitting in the front now. Also they wouldn’t stop nowadays for security reasons.

Great anecdotes on here!

And so far, over 40 of us have seen someone from the RF ‘in the flesh’ out of .... erm over 60 million of us! Love it.

In the fifties I was at a school very close to Buckingham Palace (Buckingham Gate). As we only had a roof playground we were walked to St James’s Park to play rounders. Several times the games mistress shouted “the Queen’s coming” and we would run over to the Mall while she was driven past. What struck me was her pink complexion and how brightly coloured she was dressed; also she seemed to make a point of looking and waving to us excited youngsters. In 1975 I saw the Queen Mum close up as she was at the Albert Hall for the London University graduation ceremony. I remember thinking she was so much like my gran and had the same rather pale skin. I so admired her ability to look interested in every graduate as we passed in front of us as that went on for ages while I actually nodded off a couple of times. My daughter saw Princess Diana when she was shown into a small ward where she was nursing two children. I asked her what she was like and all she really said that she was mesmerised by her ring as she put her hands on the bedclothes!!! My grandson used to go to boxing lessons and was introduced toPrince Philip and the only impression I got from him was “he is really old”.

We often stay on the Sandringham estate Caravan club site, and my husband likes to roam the forest tracks early morning looking for wildlife, he has often passed a brief greeting with one of the Royals who were out walking their dog at the same time. We have also seen the Queen paying a private visit to the church one afternoon, closely followed by her lady in waiting and suited and wired man in a dark suit, probably her protection officer. At this time of year various Royals can be seen driving around the estate, often in Range Rovers, but sometimes in a rather old Defender, driven by a lady wearing a headscarf!
My Step brother is a retired Army officer, also with close connections to the Horse Racing world, and he’s met most of them at some point in his career, but is a personal friend of Princess Anne, who sends him a Christmas card every year.

I saw Princess Margaret at Glasgow airport in the late 70s, she was tiny. I meet Diana, who was pretty but Sarah Ferguson was really beautiful, a friend and i spent 20 mins in a cold dark foyer of a block of flats chatting to her. She was at R.A.F Coltishall visiting the Pre-School.She was lovely

My little sister presented flowers to Princess Marina in the early 60's in Bordon, she was visiting the army.

The Queen landed at RAF Gatow in Berlin in the mid 60's, I was at school in Gatow, she walked along a line us schoolchildren, chatting to some, not me though!

My son has a picture of the Prince of Wales with him and his year six class mates when they visited Osborne House on the I.O.W., which coincided with a royal visit. That was 19 years ago now because he certainly looked a lot less florid and still had dark hair, the P.O.W. that is not my son he was only 11 at the time.

I curtsied to the Queen Mother when she opened a new wing at our school in 1967. She had quite bad veins in her legs, poor woman.
I have also met Prince Philip and Lord Snowden when I briefly worked in a design shop in London, both shorter than you would imagine.
DH and I went to a Garden Party at Buck House and the Queen passed by.

We also went to be garden party a few years ago, but I wasn't chosen to meet her ( what a surprise ) so could only glimpse her, as she is tiny. Then the heavens opened and that was the end of that.

Lots of interesting anecdotes. Surprised the anti-royal brigade hasn’t jumped on to slag us all off for hero-worship!

We used to see them driving down the Great West road in London as children.We waited with excitement for the road to clear, then the outriders, then the royals going fairly fast as they wizzed by. A different world in the 50s!

My daughter has met most of the royal family and as I have often been her 'plus one' at such meetings, I have also met some of them. I have great admiration for the things I know they do 'behind the scenes'. A special favourite of mine is Princess Anne who was once extremely kind to my daughter and demonstrated a compassionate side to her that I think would surprise some people. Prince William, on his second meeting with my young grandson actually remembered his name, which I think is remarkable. (Though my grandson had chatted to him at length on their first meeting and is full of character.) On one occasion when our grandson was just a baby my husband was with my daughter when they had a meeting with Prince Charles. I have a lovely photo of Prince Charles making a great fuss of the baby and my husband said he was very natural with him.

I was inside at the opening of the Birmingham law courts by the Queen mother and she acknowledged us all. She was tiny but beautiful

The Duke of Kent.
He's very tall so I had to move to see anything..

How close up? I watched the royal coach going down the Royal Mile in 1977 and the Queen waved (at me of course). It was her Silver Jubilee tour.