The Day I Met The Queen

Our RDN photographer Mike Davies meets The Queen

Mike is far R behind woman in white hat

“I was asked by a fellow photographer to go along to the re- opening of the Leisure Centre in Swansea, as The Queen and Duke would be attending.

It was a dry day but bitterly cold with a biting wind-not ideal weather to be standing about in but we arrived early and got chatting to the police  about the Royals and what time  they’d be arriving, They said in about 2 hours, so it was a long cold wait,  On their appearance, the cars stopped well to my left, and now with the maddening crowd I could not get a single shot before they both they both walked into the Leisure Centre, Again I asked the policeman how long would Her Majesty be inside, “around 2 hours”, he replied, “but worth the wait as she will be coming out of one of those three doors,”   

So, after my long wait, The Queen eventually made an appearance.. She came around to my right and I started snapping away but when she got close into the lens, out ot of courtesy I stopped filming and put the camera down only, to my astonishment, to be greeted by Her Majesty!.  She walked past the woman with the outstretched hand and held her hand out to me and shook it and asked me where was I from etc.- she was quite interested.   We seemed to be chatting for a while, she told me it was lovely to be back in Swansea and that they were having lunch in the Brangwyn Hall.   I wished them well and she replied, “You too.  It was lovely to meet you”-a moment in my life I shall never forget, so it was worth waiting in that biting wind all those hours.”

MIKE DAVIES