60 Years in the East The Queen and I

This is some of my collection of photographs. I've got thousands of

them. Probably 3000 or 4000, perhaps more. This is one of the

favourites I've got of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. People

think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I am just doing my own thing. I shall

collect my bits-and-pieces as I go along. This is another one of the

Queen and the Queen Mother. This is one or two of my favourites here of

the Queen. Another one. I am fortunate I have met Her

Majesty on several occasions. You've still got a bit of

intimidation. But the Queen quickly puts everyone at their ease and

relaxes you. She is very easy to talk to. As a person, the Queen is

very friendly. And she is somebody who does not impose herself on you.

But you know there's a sense of dignity and authority.

The East of England has a special place in the heart of the Queen.

She has been here hundreds of times and even has a home here. We meet

some of the people she's met during My name is Mary. I am one of the

Queen's biggest fans. Behind these gates is Sandringham House in

Norfolk. The private home of the Queen. She has been coming here

since she was a little girl. The Queen comes to Sandringham every

Christmas for two months. Every week, she attends the church. It

gives the public plenty of time to see her. We can see her very close-

up. Going into church, we have the service relayed outside. And then,

the Queen comes out. She takes flowers from the little children.

Then she gets back in the car and goes back to Sandringham House. To

see the Queen, I get very excited. One or two of us want to see what

outfit she wears. Always something different. It is really lovely. The

My name is Brenda. I first met the Queen in 1959 when she came to open

this town centre in Stevenage, when it was a brand new town. There was

a big buzz about the town. People were excited, especially to see her

up close, which most of us did. NEWSREADER: The Lord Lieutenant of

Hertfordshire welcomed her Majesty to Stevenage New Town. -- Her

Majesty. A typical house was inspected by the Queen. The new

town already has 35,000 people. The population increases by about 5000

a year. We came to live in Stevenage, because there was a

shortage of housing just after the war. The first house cost us �1 and

10 shillings a week. NEWSREADER: At the town centre is the clock tower

of modern design. And here, a big crowd assembled to see Her Majesty

unveil a commemorative panel and name the main shopping street

Queensway. The occasion for the Queen's visit was something that

was really look forward to. It was all in the local papers a couple of

weeks before her visit. And we felt very privileged that she should

choose to come and open Queensway, which this is. NEWSREADER:

Stevenage was the first of the new towns envisaged by the New Towns

Act of 1946. The amenities of the shopping centre were inspected by

the Queen. Not many people had a television in those days. So it was

very nice to see her in person. People were so excited and talked

about it for ages afterwards. You know, and there was a lot of people

that took days off work and everything. It was just to come

Her Majesty the Queen enjoys her racing. She's a great authority on

it. She's been breeding horses for 60 years, of all descriptions. She

likes to be out watching her horses in the morning exercise, when she

gets the opportunities. And just adores the sport. I am Joe Mercer,

a professional jockey for 37 years. I had the pleasure of riding for

Her Majesty the Queen on many locations. And this is one of the

big occasions. I rode to win the 1000 Guineas in 1974. Having Her

Majesty here present on the day was just absolutely wonderful. You get

a bit of a buzz when she says, "Joe, what you think she will do?" And

this that and the other. And if it comes off, all well and good. We

came here with hopes of winning it for Her Majesty the Queen. And it

duly obliged to. We just held on by the skin of our teeth. You are

pumped up when you've won it, you know. But we don't celebrate like

the modern jockeys of today. Jumping up in the air and all that

sort of thing. You feel very proud of yourself. Particularly riding

for Her Majesty the Queen, which is wonderful. I spoke to her when I

got off the horse. She congratulated me. I saw her receive

the trophy. And I received my little trophy. And I was away

getting changed for my next race. And off I went again. My name's

Yvonne Brown. I currently chair of Sandringham Women's Institute at

Sandringham. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was our President

until she died in 2002. We were very fortunate when the Queen very

graciously agreed to carry on the family tradition and remain as our

president. We are a unique WI and we never lose sight of that. And

we're just fortunate that Her Majesty continues to come along and

enjoy the meetings. # God save our Queen #.

When Her Majesty arrives, the ladies will all be standing. And we

all sing God Save the Queen. Then we make our way over here. And I

stand here. Her Majesty's on my left. My fellow vice-president is

also on the Queen's left. And the lady in waiting. And then, Anne

will read the minutes. Her Majesty will ask if she should sign them.

And, of course, we all agreed. She signs the minutes. And she usually

gives us a short resume on what she's been doing during the year.

And she remarks on what we've been doing as a WI. Then once she has

done that, she comes over to a table similar to this and signs the

visitors' book. Whilst we're doing this, our entertainment committee

are all getting ready to perform a play.

..by my very own pride and joy. My son, Aladdin, your principal boy.

They do this in front of Her Majesty. And she's thoroughly

enjoys it. MUSIC: "Everybody Wants To Rule The

World" by Tears for Fears. ALL: We are the pupils of the Infant and

Nursery School in Norfolk. The Queen came to see us earlier this

year. Our head teacher said that she invited the Queen to our school

to watch our travelling back in time play. Everybody was really

excited. I think they were a little bit nervous as well.

# You are the Queen. # And you're the only Queen that

there has even been. # You rule my very soul.

# I'm worthless on my own. # Your Majestry will always be

supreme. # And I don't deserve.

# The pleasure and the privilege to serve.

# Yup, they might call me King. # But that don't mean a thing.

My name is Betty. I met the Queen up here in 2008. It was at the

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn. But my royal story starts

over 60 years before that. I was just a little girl during the war.

I was bombed out in 1943. I was in hospital in Lewisham. I had a

shrapnel wound in my abdomen. And the Queen, as she was then, visited

the hospital. She gave bananas to the children that were in the

hospital. Those were given to them by the princesses. They had

received them from Lord Mountbatten. And they felt that the children in

hospital needed them more. So I was lucky enough to have two. And she

also allowed me to pick a carnation out of her bouquet, which was very

nice. Four years ago, I got to meet the current Queen when she visited

this hospital. It was a chance to tell the Queen about the time I met

her mother. And how she gave me an unusual gift. I showed how the

picture I've got of her mother. She was giving me two bananas when I

was in the hospital during the war years. And then, I gave her two

bananas. I said, "Thank you," and returned the compliment. She said,

"Thank you," and that the bananas were very rare during the war years.

So we were very lucky as children to get them. And she said the photo

The Queen's job is to help people if they are hurt. Um... Look after

plants. And trees. Um... And to look after houses. Her job is, um...

To look after her family. And... And look after the unity and make

sure there's no rubbish and over My name is David Fleming. I first

met the Queen in 1956. It was at King Edward the Seventh Grammar

School in King's Lynn. The Queen was coming to the school to open

the new buildings to have a look around. I, with everybody else,

wanted to see the school looking at its best. And, as school captain, I

had to make sure that the prefects and the team were doing their work

properly. Getting the pupils into assembly, as they should. Making

sure that everything worked. The caretaker at that time was a chap

called Grassy Greenacre. And he was very good at polishing and chasing

us. Making sure that things were in order. That is what he did on that

day. A peaked hat and blue overalls and working hard. Making sure

This is the actual picture that the Queen signed on that visit. It was

in the dining room. There she is. The signature '56. After she had

been around, she came back here into the hall, where the school was

assembled. And I listened to the speeches of the governors and the

headmaster. And then, I had to come forward and present the Queen with

a jewel box. I told her that this jewel box was the first thing that

had been made in our workshops. And it was a sign of our affection and

our loyalty. She made me feel quite at ease. I can still remember the

green dress that she was wearing. And I can remember the way in which

she made me feel good. And when I had handed over the jewel box, I

then gingerly walked backwards down the steps. And at the bottom of the

steps, I called for the school to join in three cheers. And they did,

very warmly. Because they appreciated her visit.

Now, this is my lounge. As you will see, it is dedicated to the Royal

Family. I mean, this is my latest Diamond Jubilee plate. I've only

got one at the moment. But I shall no doubt have many more. This here,

a whisky bottle, full. It denotes the Queen's 60th birthday. All

still sealed. Mustn't be opened. This is a piece of William's

wedding cake. I was unable to go up to the wedding. The Duchess of

Cornwall sent me a piece. Of these mugs all denote something to do

with the Royal Family. All the Buckingham Palace ones anyway.

Those ones. And as you will see in here many, many which denote the

Queen and many things that she's done over the years. Bells, look.

What with all my memorabilia, photographs, travel. I must have

spent thousands of pounds. But I do not regret a penny. I he got to

know her quite well. And how she thought about horseracing. A

wonderful person to speak to. Very knowledgeable. I can remember going

back 35-40 years ago. We had three- year-old in the yard, trained by

Major Hern. It was an absolute sweetheart of a horse. A huge great

monster. But not much ability. I recommended to Dick that he

suggested to Her Majesty the Queen that he would make a very good

riding horse for her. She said, "what a good idea." She wrote him

for years and years afterwards. Around Ascot and various places.

But she is a very knowledgeable lady. Enjoys her sport. She just

loves being with the racing people. The Queen always wears different

things at a time she goes somewhere on a special occasion. When she

goes out in two different countries, she dresses up in her nice clothes.

-- into. And when she travels somewhere, the press normally

always follows her. MUSIC: "Girls on Film" by Duran

Duran. # Girls on film!

# Girls on film! #. We go here now to the plates. Once again,

dedicated most often to the Queen. This is one of my favourites. That

is the Golden Jubilee. This is the Queen at Balmoral. And this in here,

in my cabinet here, is the gold coach with the horses. And also,

I've got many statues of the Queen. In here, her wedding day. And all

sorts of little pillboxes, which I have collected over the years. And

these here are some of my Diamond Jubilee mugs which I have collected.

NEWSREADER: As recognised, a man doesn't live by eating alone. He is

sometimes thirsty. Hence the Pied Piper public house. The pub had

only been open a month. And the Queen came and walked along here.

She stopped here. And we were as close as I am to you to hire. -- to

her. And she was charming. And when I looked up, at that window, the

landlord's wife was going like that. She was indicating she was very

nervous at meeting the Queen. NEWSREADER: The landlord is none

other than Wilf Mannion. Formally, an English international footballer.

Wilf had the honour of showing the Queen around the new town local.

And then, walking home, back along the lane. The entourage came past

us. We had to leap back into their hedgerow to let them go past. As

they did so, the Queen gave us a lovely smile and a wave all to

ourselves. I shall always remember LADY GAGA: # I can be the queen

that's inside of me. This is my chance to release and be

brave for you. You'll see I can be.

The queen you need me to be. This is my chance to be the dance

I've dreamed! It's happening.

Oh, I've met her lots of times, especially when I was in Balmoral.

I was just walking around the grounds with my friend she laughed.

-- Sheila. The Land Rover pulled up at my feet. The window came open

and who was at sitting in it but the Queen with her dogs. She told

me all about the cruise she had had in the Scottish isles. And then she

went on to tell us all about her dogs. She talked about the weather.

As I said, when she pulled away, I just did there and I could have we

speak. -- could not speak. I could not believe the Queen would have

stopped dead at my feet. Welcome to this very special Jubilee

celebration. Thank you everybody for bringing the bring-and-share

supper. We're not doing any business this evening. Or as little

as possible anyway. It's a privilege having the Queen

as our president. And it's always a pleasure to have her with us at the

January meeting. I think, maybe as this is such a private meeting, and

we do respect that privacy. She feels as if she can relax when she

comes into the meeting. Really, rather an odd experience. If you

have tea on her table. And she pours your tea for you. That's a

little bit surprising, really. You're not expecting it.

She's got a very good memory. If you tell her something and she

meets you again the following year, she remembers. A very quick wit,

actually. She often makes us laugh with things she tells us about.

We will now pick up a cup and drink to our President, Her Majesty the

Queen, on reaching this momentous occasion in history. And

congratulate her on 60 years of dedicated service to Great Britain

and the Commonwealth. So, Her Majesty the Queen.

ALL: Her Majesty, the Queen. I would like to be the Queen,

because I would get lots of money and be rich. I would like to be the

Queen, because I would have lots of houses. I would like to be Queen,

because she is rich. And she has servants and she doesn't do that

much. I would like to be the Queen, BOTH: We are Highland dancers. We

will be performing in front of the Queen when she visits Corby later

We are all aged 14-16. We are dancing a championship dance. I am

very excited and very nervous. It is overwhelming performing for the

Queen. My friend's a little jealous that they are not allowed to do it,

too. And they all think I am lucky to be able to perform in front of

the Queen. My name is Kate. This is my

daughter Alisha. She is four years old. She has been chosen to give

the Queen the flowers on her visit today to Corby. Oh, hello. Hello

What is your name? Alisha. How old are you?

I have been teaching her how to meet the Queen. I used my

vegetables from my garden. Then I pretend as if I am the Queen. It is

such an honour. I will never forget it. I will be really emotional, in

tears. Especially for her giving the Queen the flowers. Most

important thing, which I am praying for her not to forget. That is to

bow. It is very, very important to I was up at half past four this

morning. I put a lot of effort into getting to the barriers in good

time to get a good position. many times over the years do you

think you have seen her now? couldn't tell you. I couldn't say.

Many, many. I really don't know. But it is just as exciting? First

as last, yes. When she pulls up in the car, we

look to see what outfit she's got. Sometimes we have seen it before,

sometimes we haven't. She always PIPE MUSIC PLAYS.

Performing in front of the Queen was like really nerve-racking. But

it was exciting at the same time. And it was really fun. Really,

really scary. But it was exciting. It was really scary. She walked

past and you did not want to make a TINA TURNER: # You're simply the

best! Better than all the rest.

# Better than anyone. # Anyone I ever met.

# You're simply the best! # Better than all the rest... #.

am so proud of her. Very emotional. Crying, but tears of joy.

# You're simply the best! She looks beautiful! Oh, I've never

Flowers, your Majesty! Your Majesty! Did you enjoy the Jubilee?

Yes, I did. I was one of those people in the Mall. All those

thousands of people. Really enjoyed it. It was lovely! You've done

marvellous! That was a long while to wait, but it was worth it!

How's Prince Philip? Getting on very well. Bless you, lovely.

You've done well without him. He was at Sandringham yesterday.

Was he? Good! We didn't get an invitation(!) That was really