Queen Elizabeth II and Me

I saw the Queen! I saw the Queen!!

There’s no point in burying the lede, because that’s the most exciting thing that happened to me today. My friend Liz, who is running the marathon for Cancer Research UK, and I went to pick up our race numbers and goodie bags. As we were walking into the Expo Hall, Liz said to me, “Look! There’s the Queen!”

“Oh Wow!” I said, thinking that I’d finally spotted Her Royal Highness after living here for six years. But then I got suspicious. She had no minders, guardsmen or ladies-in-waiting with her. She seemed to be wearing the same outfit she wore to Charles and Camilla’s wedding on Saturday. And no one was curtsying.

“That’s not really her, is it,” I asked, my voice deflating with every word.

“You didn’t really think that it was, did you? Liz asked. Well of COURSE I did. Why wouldn’t the Queen be there to greet me at the Expo on the day I picked up my race number in fulfilment of a lifelong dream? Besides, what do I know? I’m an American living in London.

Once I realized the error, the Expo was a bit of a letdown. The Expo is like a trade show for all the marathon runners where you pick up your number and championship chip (which electronically records your time when you cross mats at the start and finish) and also get to see all sorts of running-related merchandise. You can taste powerbars and gels—I think they’re gross. You can try on running shoes. You can buy running gear.

In my reporting career I’ve covered dozens of trade shows ranging from the fun to the downright dull. The best trade show ever was the Candy Show 1998 at McCormick Place in Chicago where U.S. candy manufacturers showed their new products. The highlight was The Sample Room where they handed you a bag at the entrance and you crammed it full of everything that appealed to you for free. Wasn’t I the most popular reporter in the newsroom with a bag of candy next to my desk? The less said about the downright dull trade shows the better, but I think the names say it all: The Steel Manufacturers Equipment Show, The Manufacturing Expo, The Textiles Show. I am a veteran of looking interested when someone is explaining ISO 2000 standards or fabric trends.

The Marathon Expo was great only because you got to see what some of your fellow competitors looked like and everyone kept wishing me luck. When I picked up my number, the man asked me if it was my first marathon and it took a GREAT DEAL of self control not to burst into tears right there and then. (As regular readers of this journal know, I am somewhat emotional at the moment, given that even the Porta-Loos set me off).

Oh, am I excited. I’m going to do this! I’m running the marathon! I can do it! Look for number 9985 with a red cap (pictured below), fluorescent yellow shirt and (most likely) tears running down my face as I cross the finish line.

The day I got to see Her Royal Majesty, The Queen

When we first moved here, 13 1/2 years ago, I naively thought we'd be tripping over the Royal Family in London. Let me assure you, that is not the case. I had a false alarm in 2005, when I THOUGHT I saw the Queen at the Marathon Expo, when I was collecting my number, but it was not to be. So I've never seen anyone remotely royal. I've never even seen a minor royal, like Princess Michael of Kent.


(I'm not counting the time I got my picture taken with the picture of the Queen when we earned our British citizenship last year. Or, for that matter, any millions of times I've seen the queen on money or on stamps. Those times don't count.)


That all changed today.


Queen Elizabeth II was in Greenwich to reopen the Cutty Sark, go the Maritime Museum and finally to have lunch at the Queen's House. The queen to which the name refers is not her, but instead to Queen Anne, James I's wife. But I do think it's a nice bit of symmetry when the Queen is at the Queen's House.


I thought I was going to miss all the hoopla, because I had an exam scheduled for the late morning, bang in the middle of all the visits. But my friend and I were on our way back when I saw a group of people waiting out front of the Queen's House. I also spied this police motorcade security detail, so I figured she hadn't left yet. We made a beeline over there. Thinking I had missed my chance to see the Queen in person in the morning, I was thrilled that I was actually going to see her in the afternoon.

It was a nice group hanging about at the end of the Queen's visit. I'm sure most people went to the Cutty Sark celebrations and then returned home. The rain also arrived with a vengence, so I think that also contributed to the "We're all in this together" spirit while we waited for Her Majesty to appear.


Among the group was this really sweet girl who wanted to deliver this bouquet of flowers. She was hoping the motorcade would stop at the end of the gate so she could deliver them. The police officer in charge told her that was very unlikely, but she still remained optimistic. (You might be able to get an idea of how hard it was raining by looking at the umbrella.)

After a 45 minute wait, which actually didn't feel that long, the Queen finally emerged from the Queen's House and got in her special Range Rover with the special flag, indicating that she's inside. Here they are, making their way up the path in front of the Queen's House. She is in the back seat, on the left-hand side, wearing red and a fetching hat. My heroine.

I didn't take a picture of her actually passing by, because I wanted to concentrate on actually seeing her and waving, as opposed to taking a picture. Prince Phillip was on our side, and I have to say, he looked very good, particularly after his heart scare at Christmas.


So I've now seen the Queen, and in her Diamond Jubilee year to boot. It was worth getting absolutely soaked to do so. 

What You'd See at Google.co.uk today

To mark the visit of Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Google UK headquarters, Google put her in the title for today only. See it for yourself at www.google.co.uk, but only if you visit on Thursday, 16 October. Otherwise, you can see it here.

I'm sure this isn't that big a deal for a woman whose visage is on all the paper currency in this country (and some others), but I'd be pretty chuffed if it was me.