Her Majesty The Queen

[Keith]

With the sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen, the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle has featured in the many lookbacks over her reign.

I'm sure over the years she has visited many Fire Stations or Service Headquarters and awarded hundreds of Queen's Fire Service Medals. Has anyone met Her Majesty, any memories of her or attended incidents at Royal Palaces or Residences?

[Steve]

May Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory.

God Save the King. 

[Messyshaw]

I was really lucky and just missed out of parading in front of the Queen when she visited the LFB for her Silver Jubillee in 1977

The squad ahead of mine in Training School was effectively back squadded several weeks as their squad was drilled (marching) to an inch of their life. 

It would have been an honour of course but I have 2 left feet and would have probably embarrassed the LFB by tripping over

However within the last 18 months and 44 years later, I found myself part of a team planning a Royal visit at my workplacd and  meeting the behind the scene team from Buckingham Palace and the Met. Then later, being part of a small group who listened to her delivering a speech 

My son has beaten that as he worked at Buck House. He was a bit of a hero with his workmates when he made her laugh with some gentle teasing when she attended a staff Xmas party and he has a photo with her 

A massively historic and sad time 😪

[Healdav]

I met the Queen on one occasion.

She and the Duke were on a State visit to Luxembourg and I was at the time Leader of the British Scouts.

There was a reception for the British people in Luxembourg (those who wanted to go; strangely a lot didn't) which was really a Royal walkabout meeting 'by accident' a lot of people. The people selected didn't know they were to meet her except for me who was asked to turn up in Scout uniform.

As it happened, she unveiled a sculpture by Henry Moore outside the European Court of Justice (she at first protested at making a visit there as she wasn't going to the, then, EEC), but was told, rightly, that if she didn't Luxembourg would regard it as an insult. The Cub Scouts were asked to be there.

All went well, she unveiled the sculpture and then walked back to the Court entrance surrounded by the Cubs with whom she chatted happily. Then she and the Duke went in for a tour of the Court. During that time I, and the Cub leaders tried to supervise the Cubs. It was all too much. We spent most of our time, with the Luxembourg policeman (yes, there was tight security), heaving Cubs from under the Rolls and stropped them from climbing in and on the bonnet.

Eventually, she came out and got in the car. She looked around and saw me heaving yet another Cub out of the way. Then she saw that I was wearing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gold Medal on my uniform. She waved and made signs about it, so I waved back.
Half an hour later, she saw me at the reception and made a beeline, ignoring the people trying to introduce her to people. We had a chat for a couple of minutes, with me explaining that our Scout Group (called Telstar for international communication). I told the Queen that we accepted any boy as long as he could understand English well enough to understand the Law and Promise, and the we had had one boy who learnt to read English with his Scout Handbook.

Her immediate reaction was, "How marvellous. You must never change". So we became the only Scout Group to operate under a Royal decree.
Then I told her that that day was our anniversary and thank you for coming for it. She roared laughing, and said she was pleased that she could make it.
Except that then the Duke appeared and started asking me about the Gold Award and also the Outward Bound School badge that I wearing. In fact, it was the second time I had met him, the first being at the Palace at the presentation of the Gold Award.

A never to be repeated afternoon.

[Keith]

I'm sure many of us have been dipping in and out of all the coverage of Her Majesty's passing and the accession of His Majesty King Charles III and I think it's fair to say we won't see the like of Her Majesty again. She certainly served the nation with such dedication, duty and dignity.

One of the most striking things is the length of her rein. This struck me when amongst many things, we were discussing in the office the other day was the Platinum Jubilee Medal, which is the first the junior member of our team received. This prompted the usual how many years have you done question, he had done ten and I was feeling extremely old with 28 years and the full set of Jubilee medals the first of which, the Golden Jubilee one, I received 20 years ago. This pales into insignificance though when you think at that point, she had already done 50 years. Quite remarkable.

God bless you Ma'am.

[CaptainFlack]

It's the prime minister's she's had that gets me. Started with Churchill and ended with Truss - nearly 100 years between their birthdays.!!

I cannot get used to saying King at all....

[Messyshaw]

I will refrain from adding anything political here but, I realise her majesty has witnessed a lot of change in 75 years on the throne - but Churchill to Truss? Jeez!!!

I love this Greg Davis performance that has accidentally turned into a lovely tribute to HM QE2 - aka 'Everyone's nan'

(sorry about the advertising banner)