“We can’t visit the palace tomorrow. The queen is in town,” said Nancy, looking at her computer.
It was the summer of 2014, and I was visiting my friend Ruth in Scotland. On the last full day of my visit, Ruth and her mum Nancy were planning a day of sightseeing in Edinburgh, including the palace where Queen Elizabeth normally stayed during the occasional visits to the Scottish capital.
“What’s she doing? Maybe we can see her,” joked Ruth.
Nancy skimmed some websites. The queen would be attending a special ceremony at St. Giles’ Cathedral the next morning, near the Royal Mile, a part of the city we wanted to see anyway.
“There’s no time listed, but we could try going about eight o’clock and seeing if we can see anything,” Ruth and her mother decided.
So the next morning, two Scottish commoners and one American headed to Edinburgh. It was July 3, 2014. I had lived in Ireland since September 2012 and was planning to return home soon. This would be one last chance to visit Ruth before the Atlantic separated us.
As soon as we got to the street near St. Giles, it was obvious something big was coming. We talked with a police officer, who confirmed that the the queen was on her way.
As we stood with the gathering crowd, Ruth and Nancy talked about the role of the royal family in current culture. “Everyone loves the queen,” Ruth said. She was right, Queen Elizabeth’s approval rating was 75%, which is exceptionally high for such a public figure, especially when compared with undignified American leaders such as Biden and Trump.
True, Queen Elizabeth had no real political power, so maybe that contributed to her popularity. Or maybe being an ambulance driver during the worst war the world has ever seen shaped young Elizabeth’s character with a special sense of duty that served her well during seventy years of public life.
The police on motorcycles came first. Then a Range Rover, a police SUV, and then a Rolls-Royce with a former ambulance driver sitting in the back.
The queen, along with Prince Philip and Prince William were at St. Giles for a special ceremony for the Order of the Thistles, which is described as the “the greatest order of chivalry in Scotland”. They were in ceremonial dress for the occasion.
We decided to stay and wait until the ceremony was over (about an hour) so we could watch the queen come out again and leave.
Prince Philip died in 2021 at the age of ninety-nine, and last week Queen Elizabeth II died at ninety-six. Yesterday King Charles III was officially proclaimed “sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. “Beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless his majesty with long and happy Years to reign over us”, and it seemed like the perfect time to write about the day I saw the queen.
Interesting blog, did you know Queen Elizabeth loved corgis? In 1933 when Elizabeth was 7 years old her father King George VI gave Elizabeth a Pembroke Welsh corgi they named Dookie. When she was 18 years old she was given another and named it Susan. Throughout Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne the corgis were by her side on official tours.
Interesting, so she loved Corgis for nearly ninety years! They’re nice dogs.
🌸 What a fairy tale ! 🌸 Love the pictures!
I believe as I type this words, the Queen’s casket is at St. Giles Cathedral. The Scottish people can pay their last respects to her there.
I’m glad I got to see her in life.
She was definitely a class act, and an example of what a human can be. I can see why she was so venerated.
It’s amazing how people are standing in line for 24 hours or longer to view her coffin. Even people not really in favor of the monarchy respected her.
Hello Susan,
I really enjoyed your post, and it was fun to relive the memories of that day! Sorry this comment is soooo late! Your descriptions, even of conversations, were just how I remembered them 😁 I enjoyed your visit to Scotland and it was so nice to see the picture of the two of us. ☺️ x
Thanks, Ruth! It’s great that day brings happy memories for both of us!